Disney Pixar's Elio Suffers Record-Low Opening as '28 Years Later' Tops Box Office

Elio has experienced the worst opening weekend in Pixar's history at the box office, while How to Train Your Dragon continues to dominate.

The original animated film debuted with $35 million globally, including $21 million domestically and a concerningly low $14 million internationally. This marks the lowest three-day opening for Pixar, falling short of even Elemental's $44.5 million opening weekend in 2023. For comparison, Pixar's Inside Out 2 achieved a massive $295 million global opening weekend last year.

However, Pixar and its parent company Disney are hopeful that Elio will mirror Elemental's success, as the latter ultimately earned nearly $500 million globally during its theatrical run. Elio has yet to release in key markets like China, Japan, and Spain, and its theater presence is expected to grow as schools break for summer holidays next month. The film has also been well-received critically. IGN's review of Elio awarded it a 9/10, praising it as "Pixar's latest animated feature, boasting dazzling animation and even more striking emotional depth."

Elio's challenging opening weekend may have been influenced by the ongoing success of the family film How to Train Your Dragon, which has reached $350 million worldwide in its second weekend and remains the top movie in the U.S. A sequel is already in development.

Elio also faces competition from Disney's live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch, which has grossed $910.3 million globally after just five weekends and is on track to become the first film of 2025 to surpass the $1 billion milestone.

Another notable release is 28 Years Later, the horror zombie sequel directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. It had a strong start, earning $60 million globally. The domestic haul of $30 million is the highest for a Boyle-directed film, and the international launch of $30 million outperformed Sinners.

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The key question for Boyle is whether 28 Years Later performs well enough to greenlight the planned third film in the new trilogy, with the second installment already filmed. IGN's review of 28 Years Later gave it a 9/10, stating: "28 Years Later is as potent and timely an exploration of cultural strife as the original, with Danny Boyle and Alex Garland skillfully weaving heart-wrenching moments into a bloody, intense narrative."

For film enthusiasts tracking box office numbers, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning has reached $540.9 million after five weekends, the John Wick spinoff Ballerina stands at $104.5 million, Final Destination Bloodlines has grossed $280.1 million, and Sinners has an impressive $363.8 million worldwide.