For decades, Pixar Animation Studios was known for making movies that not only looked incredible, but also told heartwarming stories. The studio changed the film industry in 1995 with the release of Toy Story, the first feature-length film made entirely by computer animation. Since then, fans have flocked to theaters to see movies like Monsters, Inc. (2001), Cars (2006), Up (2009), Inside Out (2015), Coco (2017), and more.Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic was the beginning of a really tough period for Pixar. Onward (2020) was only in theaters for a couple of weeks before everything shut down. Then, its next three films — Soul (2020), Luca (2021), and Turning Red (2022) — weren’t even released in theaters.Credit: Disney/PixarRelated: Bob Iger’s Disney Officially Censors Pixar StudiosUnfortunately, things did not get better when Disney and Pixar released Lightyear in 2022. In fact, they seemed to get worse, with Disney losing more than $100 million on the Buzz Lightyear flick. Disney got so frustrated with Pixar’s failings that during layoffs, nearly every executive who worked on Lightyear received their pink slip.Thankfully, things changed in the summer of 2024, when Inside Out 2 was released. The animated sequel was expected to do well, but it soared higher than anyone expected, making nearly $1.7 BILLION. It was not only Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time, but it was the most successful film of 2024, and is the second-highest-grossing animated movie ever.Credit: Disney/PixarRelated: Pixar Writer Confirms Exciting News For ‘Inside Out 3’!With the success of Inside Out 2, things looked like they might be improving for the struggling studio. Sadly, its upcoming new animated film might undo some of its recent success.In 2022, Pixar announced a new movie called Elio. It tells the story of a young boy named Elio, who is obsessed with anything and everything related to aliens. One day, Elio is suddenly beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with alien representatives from all different galaxies. The organization has mistaken Elio for Earth’s representative, and Elio must work with them to help stop an intergalactic catastrophe.Credit: Disney/PixarRelated: Disney and Pixar Struck With Federal LawsuitOriginally, Elio was set to premiere in theaters on March 1, 2024, but in October 2023, Disney announced that the movie would be delayed due to the SAG/AFTRA strike, and it was pushed back to June 13, 2025. However, when Disney realized that the new release date would coincide with the release of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, the movie was pushed back a week and will now hit theaters on June 20.Disney and Pixar did not want to compete against a movie that is expected to perform very well, but it doesn’t appear that changing its release date will help much.According to reports, based on ticket pre-sales and box office projections, Elio is only expected to make $35 to $45 million in its opening weekend. The movie reportedly cost around $300 million to make.Pixar’s ‘ELIO’ is early tracking to earn $35M-$45M on its domestic box office opening weekend.• Budget was nearly $300M• Potentially becoming the 2nd worst debut for a Pixar filmPixar’s ‘ELIO’ is early tracking to earn $35M-$45M on its domestic box office opening weekend.• Budget was nearly $300M• Potentially becoming the 2nd worst debut for a Pixar film pic.twitter.com/3XuV2hof1c— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) May 30, 2025Fans were divided on Pixar’s recent struggles, and Elio’s potential failure. Many blamed Disney for failing to properly market the film, along with hurting Pixar by releasing so many of its films on Disney+. Theaters were open when Luca and Turning Red came out, but for some reason, Disney chose to bring them straight to Disney+.Elio saw very little in terms of a marketing push, and was frequently overshadowed by shows like Disney and Pixar’s Win Or Lose, and Disney’s newest live-action remake, Lilo & Stitch.Others felt that too much money was being spent on these animated movies. Inside Out 2 reportedly cost $200 million to make, and some think that animated movies like Elio should have a lower production cap.people saying this is an audience issue but a $45 million domestic opening weekend would be perfectly reasonable if the movie hadn’t cost $100 million MORE to make than inside out 2. make movies on smaller budgets and your box office will be more proportional people saying this is an audience issue but a $45 million domestic opening weekend would be perfectly reasonable if the movie hadn’t cost $100 million MORE to make than inside out 2. make movies on smaller budgets and your box office will be more proportional https://t.co/VDjcVPLI0N— farmer kansas (@imnotkassie) May 31, 2025Of course, there were those who defended Disney and Pixar, saying that the studios can’t win no matter what they do, and those people have a point. Critics frequently call out Disney for relying too heavily on sequels and live-action remakes. However, when new original films are released, they struggle to perform.Take Elemental, for example. The 2023 movie failed to perform at the box office, despite amazing reviews from critics and fans. When the movie premiered on Disney+, it soared to the top of the charts. But it is important to note that studios rely on films performing well at the box office, not on streaming services. If fans don’t go to the theaters to see new original stories, Disney and Pixar will simply stop making them.It’s always possible that audiences could surprise everyone and make Elio a box office success; only time will tell. The movie premieres in theaters nationwide on June 20, and stars Yonas Kibreab as Elio, Zoe Saldaña as Aunt Olga, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, and Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa.Who do you think is to blame for the failure of recent Disney and Pixar movies? Do you think fans need to be more supportive of original stories? Will you be seeing Elio in theaters, or waiting until it comes to Disney+? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!The post Pixar’s Newest Movie Projected to Tank at the Box Office appeared first on Inside the Magic.