More than a year after Disney and Pixar delivered a box office smash in Inside Out 2, which went on to become the highest-grossing animated film of 2024, grossing around $1.6 billion worldwide, Pixar’s newest film, Elio, opened with one of the lowest box office debuts in Pixar’s history.

The film grossed $21 million domestically and $14 million overseas, for a full worldwide opening gross of around $35 million. This is especially low, considering the film’s estimated budget of $150 million.

There is hope that the film could bounce back from this disappointing box office debut. Pixar’s previous original film not tied to a previous franchise, 2023’s Elemental, opened with Pixar’s previous lowest box office debut, grossing $30 million domestically and around $15 million internationally, for a total worldwide opening gross of around $45 million. But despite that low gross, the film eventually bounced back from week to week, grossing $496 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run. That’s more than 2.5 times the film’s estimated $200 million budget, which, according to most box office sources, means that Elemental did make a profit by the end of its theatrical run.

There is merit to this comparison. Much of Elemental’s success came from strong word of mouth, with the film, on Rotten Tomatoes, currently standing with a Fresh 73% Critics’ Score and an even better Certified Fresh 93% Audience Score. Elio, by comparison, has been received even better with critics, with its Certified Fresh 84% Critics’ Score, and audiences giving it a Certified Fresh 91% Audience Score. With these positive reviews from both critics and audiences, it is possible that Elio could bounce back in the coming weeks, due to strong word of mouth like Elemental did.

It’s yet to be seen if that’ll happen. For now, though, the film is currently showing in theaters.