Elemental director Peter Sohn explains his approach to avoiding a Strange World-esque box office flop. Strange World hit theaters over the holiday Thanksgiving weekend, opening to an unexpected and dismal showing as well as earning mixed reviews from audiences and critics. Directed by Don Hall and Qui Nguyen and written by Nguyen, Strange World was the third Disney animated feature to be released in 2022 after Turning Red and Lightyear, the latter of which faced a similarly lackluster debut. Given the disappointing showings from two of this year's animated features, the joint Pixar and Disney Animated Studios venture Elemental could be facing an uphill battle when it premieres next year.
During a conversation with Variety, Elemental director Peter Sohn was asked how the upcoming Pixar release will go about appealing to a mass audience in order to avoid underperforming at the box office as Strange World did. Sohn's response points to the universal nature of animation and his focus on moving the audience with a "heartfelt, sincere" story. While Sohn has previously described Elemental as a family story, which is similar to Strange World's focus, the films will likely sport many differences that may work to set the former apart. See what Sohn had to say below:
“I’ve just always responded to really heartfelt, sincere movies and storytelling, with characters that I can really fall in love with, and hopefully empathize with, and finding characters that have that vulnerability so that I can jump in with them, is a goal of mine and the type of movies that I love. And as an animator, trying to find ways to make that universal. I grew up with parents that didn’t speak English. And so, a lot of the movies that we saw, they didn’t understand, I always had to translate them. But a lot of the animated movies that were told visually so well, I never had to translate anything for them, they could just watch it and enjoy the movie or get emotional over the animation. And that, for me as an animator is a goal of trying to make something universal that all can connect to in that empathetic way."
Why Strange World Flopped
While Strange World was projected to earn around $30-40 million on its opening weekend, it fell flat with only $27.8 million, which is particularly low considering that the projections already put it under other Disney Animation films and that it opened during a holiday weekend. With the feature's budget estimated at $180 million, its numbers were especially disappointing since it will likely represent a considerable loss for Disney. However, Strange World's box office flop is not necessarily an indication that it didn't accomplish the things Sohn describes, since the film boasts meaningful representation and a charming, wholesome family dynamic, which makes for a heart-warming viewing experience for many.
A significant factor contributing to Strange World's low numbers was a lack of advertising by Disney, with most of the promotion for the movie taking place close to its opening weekend. Despite being teased in December 2021, Strange World didn't receive the hype-generating marketing run given to Lightyear, which didn't fare much better in terms of box office numbers. In addition to many viewers not having heard of the film prior to its debut, Strange World garnered lackluster reviews once it was out, which has likely led many to wait for its Disney+ release rather than seeing it in the theater.
In contrast to Strange World's lack of buzz, Elemental has already generated plenty of awareness prior to its June release. As such, it has the potential to break Disney Animation's lackluster streak box office and become a summer blockbuster, so long as the hype continues to build. Based on Sohn's comments, Elemental could be another touching Pixar tear-jerker, which could also lead to plenty of word-of-mouth advertising once the film is released.
Source: Variety
