Flasz On Film

Pixar’s Elemental recently opened across North America, and not only did it underperform at the box office, but it also disappointed critics. In fact, Disney’s bold decision to premiere this movie in Cannes severely backfired as it came back with lacklustre reviews. This came as a bit of a shock because Pixar never underdelivers, right? They always knock it out of the park, correct? Luca? Soul? Toy Story 4? And even when they don’t fire on all cylinders, like Lightyear, there’s always something or someone you can pin the failure on. Because, once again, Pixar and Disney never fail. Or do they? 

There’s been a little bit of commotion surrounding this issue. It seems the viewership who didn’t turn up to see Elemental is to blame for the film’s disappointing opening take. Well, colour me gobsmacked but the simple fact the movie didn’t make money indicates that people didn’t turn up to see it, or am I seeing things? This has been predominantly fuelled by a bunch of tweets, some of which became quite popular, where some people admitted that they’d rather wait a little longer and watch Elemental on Disney Plus. One such tweeter then received a response from the director of the film indicating that if people do not go out to see this movie in cinemas, then Disney would most likely kibosh any future attempts at Pixar original titles. This also sparked a separate conversation about originality in Pixar productions and that even those titles, which have since sustained their own franchises and have become familiar and safe choices for people to gather around, were once original.  

Now, are people to blame for deciding not to see Elemental in cinemas? Are cinemas guilty of fleecing filmgoers? Are critics to blame for giving the film a lukewarm response? Are the filmmakers responsible for producing a movie that fails to connect with large enough audiences? Are their financial backers to blame for threatening to pull the plug if the box office take isn’t up to par?  

First of all, it is a well-known tactic to divert the blame for failing to deliver on one’s objectives by dispersing it onto an entire group of people. It is all too common these days to hear sections of different fandoms pouring vitriol on critics for panning what could have been a billion-dollar movie and failing to recognize greatness, presumably out of jealousy they can only moan impotently from the sidelines because they’d never be able to put a movie together themselves. While it may be true, it is also true that films are generally very difficult to make so it’s completely unproductive to blame critics for not liking a movie you made. Similarly, it is at the very least unfair to point the finger at regular filmgoers and complain that if they had decided not to wait until Disney Plus premiers is for home consumption they are already paying for, Elemental would have been a blockbuster.  

Incorrect.  

While it is true that for an average family a cinema outing is expensive, movies continue to make money. And it is equally true that many families still choose to go out with their kids to see movies in a theatrical setting because it is an event for them. It’s just nice to sit back with your children and allow the magic of a cinematic experience to wash over you. And it doesn’t matter that popcorn costs a fortune or that fizzy drinks come with a massive markup. In fact, cinemas need you to buy concessions to stay afloat. That’s the sorry state of their business model where the lion’s share of the ticket revenue is immediately funnelled out of cinemas. What I think is the case in here is that families might not be flocking to see Elemental because there isn’t enough positive word-of-mouth coverage on it. You need to remember that most people don’t read reviews. And thanks to the “critics are stupid” trends continually resurfacing on various social media, many people don’t take RT scores too seriously either. They go to see movies their friends and family would recommend. And their friends and family tend to recommend movies they liked themselves. So, could it be possible that Elemental just isn’t liked by enough regular people? And could it be because it is not as good as Pixar shills and Disney apologists fearing they’d never get invited to press screenings if they panned their movie would like you to believe? 

Ultimately, whichever way you look at it, the blame falls squarely in Disney’s and Pixar’s laps because they (a) made a movie that doesn’t connect well enough with wide enough viewership and (b) they have adopted a business model that disincentivizes cinema-going in the first place. People cannot be blamed for making sound financial decisions at a time when their mortgage payments are going up and when their weekly shop costs twice the amount it did last year. Sure, if you like Elemental, go see it. Tell your families and your friends to go as well. But since people don’t go out to champion this movie en masse, it is perhaps an indication that there is something wrong with the movie itself or with the current business model regarding rolling out new releases. After all, people were perfectly happy to go and see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, Avatar: The Way of Water, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Super Mario Bros. Movie or even Fast X, even knowing that each of these movies would be streaming within a few months anyway. It’s not about that, despite what anecdotal evidence would indicate.  

It’s simple. If you want families to go out in droves to see your movie, make sure the movie in question is good enough and attractive to the demographics you want to attract. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge that Pixar is not an infallible studio incapable of producing a dud. They have produced duds before. In fact, one of its biggest duds was directed by the same guy who helmed Elemental. So… who do you think is responsible for Elemental not resonating with people the way Toy Story or Luca did? Is it really the audience’s fault who are simply living in a world where they have to make choices and the choice they make is not to spend large amounts of money on going out with their families to see a movie which might be passable and which their kids might enjoy, but rather to go and see a movie they will enjoy?   

Or is it the people who made it who have a history of helming movies within the Pixar bubble that don’t connect with people (who also might just be tired of talking blobs or abstract concepts having feelings)? Or is it the studio itself who effectively engineered this business model where they have to compete against other subscription-based platforms with exclusive content released at the expense of their prospective box office take? You tell me.