(TheConservativeTimes.org) – Pixar, the animation studio responsible for major hits such as Toy Story, has fallen far behind its competitors. Its latest offering, “Elemental,” was a flop at the box office, losing millions of dollars for the studio.
Some commentators and reviewers suggest the problem for Pixar, which Disney owns, is that people are choosing not to go to movie theaters because they know they can stream the film in their homes or watch it free on a cable service. However, that doesn’t explain why many films continue to experience box office success.
Critics say Pixar is falling because its recent output is too political, and people want to go to the theater to be entertained and leave politics at the door.
“Elemental” opened in theaters in June and received one of the worst receptions in the history of the Pixar studio. It cost $200 million to produce but took just $29 million on its opening weekend. The story centers around two characters, Fire and Water, who fall in love, but their romance is complicated because they cannot touch each other. The story is intended to address multiculturalism and cross-cultural relationships. The film also focuses on immigration and features Disney’s first-ever “non-binary” character.
The film is Pixar’s latest box office failure, and critics maintain that all such losses are caused by its commitment to be woke. “Strange World,” released in 2022, features a young boy addressing his crush on another boy. Film critic Christian Toto said Hollywood had not yet grasped the concept of “go woke, go broke.”
A spin-off from the huge Pixar success “Toy Story,” named “Lightyear,” also released last year, was considered one of the biggest failures of 2022. Pixar’s Pete Docter said the problem was that the film did not deliver what audiences expected. None of the old “Toy Story” characters were featured, and the plot line took a new science fiction route that viewers would not have anticipated. “We asked too much of the audience,” he said.
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