It seems like the COVID-19 pandemic and the various lockdowns happened a million years ago. They didn’t, of course, and we’re still very much dealing with the novel coronavirus and the aftermath of a global pandemic.
The film industry is slowly bouncing back; last year’s Top Gun Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, proved people will go to the cinema for big films and big stars. Next month, both Oppenheimer and Barbie will take over cinemas from Cruise’s latest Mission Impossible adventure, something Cruise is a bit miffed about.
It’s even been a particularly strong year for animation. The Super Mario Bros. is currently the year’s highest grossing film, and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse has been a hit with both general audiences and critics alike.
Credit: Pixar
Elemental, Pixar’s latest heartfelt animation, should have also been a similar hit. It has all the right ingredients for a new animated classic; it’s Pixar, the animation looks swell and it tells a story of cultural identity with a whimsical sense of fun.
Yet, Elemental has all but bombed at the US box office on its first weekend. Opening against The Flash, which is also struggling, Elemental grossed only $29.6 million in the US over the long weekend, way below what was expected. Elemental was also plagued by lukewarm reviews from critics, especially from its Cannes premiere.
Lightyear, Pixar’s previous animated film, also crashed and burned on impact last summer. The Buzz Lightyear -focused prequel earned a measly $226.4 million during its run in cinemas. The hope was that Lightyear was a glitch, that people just weren’t interested in nostalgia-driven prequels, but Elemental proves that Pixar has made some serious mistakes in the recent past that have led to this.
As the pandemic forced cinemas to shut, most films were delayed to times when hopefully, we were all allowed out of our homes. Pixar’s Soul, which played at the London Film Festival in 2020, went straight to Disney+ on Christmas Day, skipping cinemas altogether. Back then, it seemed like a necessity; we didn’t have a concrete idea of when (or if…) cinemas would be able to reopen any time soon so dumping Soul, one of Pixar’s most moving modern films, on Disney+ made sense.
Soul. Credit: Pixar
Then Pixar released Luca on Disney+. Then Turning Red. By the time both were coming out, cinemas were back open and in dire need of help getting bums on seats.
Many claimed there was an element of discrimination to the decision to release a boy-meets-boy-who-turns-into-a-sea-creature story and a film about a Chinese-American teenager turning into a red panda onto the streaming service. Many interpreted Luca’s storyline of needing to hide your true identity as a powerful allegory for the LGBTQ+ community, and Turning Red was a singular exploration of a very specific cultural experience while also exploring the universally-recognised fear of disappointing your family. Perhaps Disney were simply looking to cut their losses, but audiences certainly missed out on seeing these films on the big screen.
Elemental now proves that Pixar has essentially trapped themselves. We’re currently going through a severe cost-of-living crisis; people are increasingly worried about money and getting by. Everything is going up in price and a trip to the cinema seems like a luxury now.
Many cinema chains are now investing in bigger, better seats or recliners, but this will of course cost you extra. A bag of popcorn will likely bankrupt you, and Maltesers are completely out of the question. More and more films are released in ear-shattering, eye-popping IMAX, which will also cost you more.
Luca. Credit: Pixar
In 2022, the average cinema ticket cost you $11.75 in the US, according to The New York Times. That’s roughly £9. In the UK, ticket prices have also been increasing, but you can still get a cheap ticket for a fiver at a Vue in some locations. A recliner seat at Odeon’s flagship Leicester Square Luxe cinema will cost you £27.50! Twenty-seven British pounds! And fifty-pence!
Going to the cinema is expensive for anyone, but for a family, the target audience for Elemental, it’s extortionate.
Pixar has now conditioned audiences to believe if they can wait a few weeks, they can watch their latest release on Disney+. Lightyear took less than two months to drop on Disney+. A Disney+ subscription costs you £7.99 a month in the UK and includes hundreds of films, making it an infinitely better deal and the logical choice in these trying times. Of course, Disney has recently been removing a lot of their originals, so nothing is permanent on their service.
Elemental is scheduled to arrive on UK screens on 7 July. It’s still very possible that, despite the slow start, Elemental will turn out to be a success, but it seems unlikely at this point. Pixar needs to rethink its strategy, but it might already be too late. They’ve set a dangerous precedent for their films and now, they’re paying the price.
Elemental is in UK cinemas 7 July.
