Pixar’s newest film, “Elio,” has just hit theaters on June 20, 2025 and has bombed abysmally. Its opening weekend performed at an embarrassing $21 million compared to its $250 million budget, which has set a record for Pixar’s lowest performing opening weekend, beating out the previous, staggeringly low, $30 million opening weekend set by “Elemental.” It comes into question, why are Pixar movies following this trend?
One certain reason why “Elio,” is doing so poorly is the marketing. I haven’t seen a single trailer for this film come up in advertisements on anything. The only time I recall seeing a trailer for this movie being advertised is when I went to see “A Minecraft Movie,” a few months back in theaters. According to Slashfilm, “Based on a multitude of factors, it seems clear that ‘Elio,’ was ultimately a victim of a parent company that decided to cut its losses and save money on an expensive marketing campaign. Even outside of our film-obsessed bubble, a narrative has taken shape that Disney has been ‘burying’ this title.”
Another possibility that people tend to point fingers at is art style. The movie utilizes an art style many call “Bean Mouth,” after the mouth shape the art style utilizes. Movie goers are reportedly getting tired of seeing this art style used in films, such as “Turning Red” and “Luca.” I can agree with this to a certain extent, as while I haven’t personally seen either of those films myself, I do remember disliking the style these two movies used when they were released.
This conundrum with how “Elio,” is performing doesn’t necessarily mean the end of Pixar as a studio, but it does signify that Disney may need to take a step back and re-evaluate their approach to film making and marketing.
