Pixar's Elio Flops as 28 Years Later Dominates Box Office

Pixar's Elio has recorded the studio's worst box office opening to date, while How to Train Your Dragon maintains its dominant position as the highest-grossing film.

The animated feature debuted with a meager $35 million worldwide, including $21 million domestically and an alarming $14 million internationally. This marks Pixar's lowest three-day opening in history, falling short of even Elemental's $44.5 million launch in 2023. For comparison, Pixar's Inside Out 2 soared to $295 million globally during its opening weekend last year.

Disney and Pixar remain hopeful that Elio could mirror Elemental's eventual success, which ultimately grossed nearly $500 million worldwide. Elio still has key markets like China, Japan and Spain yet to open, with its summer theatrical run coinciding with school vacations. Critics have praised the film, including IGN's 9/10 review: "Pixar's latest animated masterpiece, Elio dazzles with breathtaking visuals and profound emotional resonance."

Elio's disappointing debut may be attributed to the continued strong performance of How to Train Your Dragon, which has reached $350 million worldwide in its second weekend while remaining the U.S. box office leader. A sequel is already in development.

The film also faces competition from Disney's live-action Lilo & Stitch remake, which has grossed $910.3 million globally after just five weeks and is poised to become 2025's first billion-dollar movie.

Elsewhere, 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland's zombie horror sequel, opened strongly with $60 million worldwide. Its $30 million domestic take sets a new record for Boyle-directed films, while its international debut outperformed Sinners.

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The crucial question for Boyle is whether 28 Years Later's performance justifies greenlighting the trilogy's planned third installment, with the second film already completed. IGN's 9/10 review praised: "28 Years Later proves as culturally relevant and emotionally powerful as the original, with Boyle and Garland masterfully combining visceral horror with heartfelt storytelling."

In other box office news, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning has reached $540.9 million after five weekends, John Wick spinoff Ballerina stands at $104.5 million, Final Destination Bloodlines has grossed $280.1 million, and Sinners maintains a strong $363.8 million worldwide total.