Elemental

[Farerb]

Did it do better than The Good Dinosaur?

No. The Good Dinosaur did $56 million on its opening weekend. This is Pixar's worst opening as far as I know.

[Farerb]

Domestic - $29.5 M
International - $15 M
Worldwide - $44.5 M

[PatchofBlue]

Disappointing, but not surprising. The public's reception of the film has been a lot better than early buzz forecasted. It's IMDb rating was I think 7.0 when I saw the film on Friday, and it currently stands at 7.3. That number will obviously eventually go down, but I think it speaks to a disconnect between early critical reception and the audience's actual reaction. So, with any luck it'll have some legs.

Anyways, came across this reading of the film. Some non-essential spoilers:

‘Elemental’ Is an Immigrant Tale, but It Also Cuts Deep as a Story About Disability (Commentary)
https://www.thewrap.com/elemental-movie ... explained/

And in the case of “Elemental,” Ember doesn’t just struggle with not fitting in because of her obligation to be a good daughter to her immigrant family. As a fire element, we watch her struggle to get onto public transportation without singeing anyone. Even visiting Wade’s water-centric apartment requires her to worry about falling into the open living room, filled with water.


As a disabled person, these moments felt painfully real: too often I worry about making friends who might feel it’s just too hard to adapt plans or their homes purely to accommodate me. It’s why seeing Wade make an effort to improve his house so Ember can sit down to dinner is so heartening. Part of Wade’s love for Ember manifests as a desire to make things accessible for her, to make her feel included.


Screenwriter John Hoberg said the creation of Fire Town, for Ember’s family, comes as a result of other neighborhoods in Element City not wanting to cater to fire people (try finding an accessible apartment in Los Angeles), and thus the story became a desire to showcase how, unintentionally, society can make things harder on people without knowing it. “It was all of us feeling like there are struggles that people have that [other] people aren’t aware of,” he said.

[carolinakid]

Wow! I didn’t know the virtue signaling was that heavy handed!
Immigration (legal or illegal?),
disabled accessibility , a non binary water sister....did I miss anything?

[blackcauldron85]

I'm so bummed - it's a GREAT movie and I don't understand why it's not doing better, except for people waiting for it to come on Disney+.

‘Elemental’ Has Second Worst Opening Weekend in Pixar History
https://wdwnt.com/2023/06/elemental-has ... r-history/

[Farerb]

Scrolling on twitter and seeing posts from Pixar's animators and employees, saying this is the hardest times at Pixar and that they might not make these movies anymore if it continues:

https://twitter.com/cathicks/status/167 ... T_XPg&s=19

https://twitter.com/cathicks/status/167 ... xYg8A&s=19

[PatchofBlue]

Web capture_18-6-2023_213830_twitter.com.jpeg (59.59 KiB) Viewed 5010 times

Saw this reply to one of those animator tweets and ... I honestly don't even know what point they're trying to communicate. Like, do they not know what movie theaters are for? Or how the industry works?

[carolinakid]

You tube headline:
Elemental is a woke Disney box office fail.
Disney is BLEEDING!

[Farerb]

After ‘Elemental’ Bombs, Can Pixar Restore Its Box Office Touch?
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/elem ... 235648044/

[RyGuy]

Web capture_18-6-2023_213830_twitter.com.jpeg



Saw this reply to one of those animator tweets and ... I honestly don't even know what point they're trying to communicate. Like, do they not know what movie theaters are for? Or how the industry works?

I think they be making the point that the Hollywood model is out of touch with the average American. There is a big difference between major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City vs. the middle of the United States. With the challenging economy and prices on the rise in terms of gasoline, energy, and even food, I think a lot of families in the middle of the country (where wages generally are lower) look at a trip to the movies with a much more critical lens. If it costs a family of four $100 ($15/ticket x 4 + popcorn, drinks and candy) to go to the movies, and the movie will be out in 45 days on Disney+ anyway, I think many of those families opt to just wait and instead use that $100 to help offset their food or electric or gas costs. I'm sure it doesn't help if their kids found some of the last Disney/Pixar films to be boring (a criticism I have seen frequently on social media concerning Lightyear and Strange World).

I'm not saying that folks won't go to the movies, but I think for many people, they have to be REALLY motivated to see a particular film to overcome the "I can just wait 6 weeks and see it for free" mentality.

It's a shame; my daughter and I really enjoyed Elemental. I hope it finds the audience it deserves when it comes to streaming.

[Disney's Divinity]

That's true, RyGuy. Even in the case of, say, a stay-at-home parent going alone with their children during the daytime while the other parent is working--that's $20-30 just for tickets alone (depending on the number of kids), and parents are the type to want to have popcorn and drinks, too. That's a lot and if they're already looking at the movie and thinking it's probably not going to be very good, which admittedly Elemental never looked good in the ads to me, multiplied if they didn't like the last one, two, or more films from the same studio, that makes it even more likely they'll just wait for a streaming release. Undeniable that Disney+ being dominant made streaming a problem for Disney theatrical releases, much like DTV sequels mauled hand-drawn animation back in the day.

I know the theater I used to go to because it was only $5 a ticket was wiped out early in the pandemic, I expect most of the cheaper theaters were similarly taken out. I really only go to theaters every once in a while myself, but that's partly because it's an hour drive to get to one in any direction from where I live.

[Sotiris]

‘Elemental’ Writers Say Wade’s Shocking Fate Traumatized Early Test Audiences: ‘The Kids Were Just Inconsolable’
https://www.thewrap.com/elemental-wade- ... interview/

[D23ExpoVisitor25]

Apparently, Elemental was the #1 film at the US box office on Thursday, barely beating out Spider-Verse by $50K: https://twitter.com/luiz_fernando_j/sta ... 48224?s=46.

Looks like there’s a chance of hope that Elemental gets that #1 spot in its second weekend this coming weekend.

Sucks for the “B”-CinemaScoring Flash.

RIP Ezra Killer.

RIP WB.

RIP DCEU.

[PatchofBlue]

'Elemental' star Mamoudou Athie on how the movie lifted him from a 'dark place' and its disappointing box office
https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/e ... r-AA1cWy5o

I was in a pretty dark place when I first met with him and even auditioning for it and eventually getting the job. So this really lifted my spirits in a way that's unlike anything else I've ever done. That kind of vulnerability lends itself perfectly for the character. He's an open heart. I couldn't be more grateful to those guys.

The character of Wade was one of my favorite things about the film, and Athie's investment in the role really translated.

[UmbrellaFish]

It’s sad to see a movie flop, especially one that so many artists worked so hard on. I hope it continues to perk up at the box office.

[Sotiris]

It’s sad to see a movie flop, especially one that so many artists worked so hard on.

I mean, which movie's artists didn't work hard on?

[UmbrellaFish]

I guess it’s different because some of these artists have shared their disappointment on social media. I feel bad for them.

[PatchofBlue]

Thomas Newman talks a little about scoring for this movie.

Composer Thomas Newman on Why the Opening Montage of ‘Elemental’ Was the Hardest Section to Score
https://variety.com/2023/artisans/news/ ... 235655730/

That was the cue he had to get right when it came to the “musical colors.” He says, “The beginnings are the most challenging because you’re laying the groundwork.” So, he came up with the cue “Across the Ocean,” which opens the film, and “Elemental,” which follows Ember as she goes from a baby to young teen who encounters Wade for the first time. This was where he pulled on cultural influences from across the globe using Chinese and Indian instruments to reflect that “Elemental” was a global story.

Anyways, I saw the film again today (debating catching either "Mermaid" or "Guardians 3" again this weekend), and I still find it really meaningful. I think one thing I appreciated more this second time around was the voice acting. I'm only casually familiar with either Athie or Lewis, but they're definitely on my radar now.

[Marce82]

I finally got a chance to see Elemental in theaters... and I am GLAD I did!! I feel really bad that this movie isn't doing well financially, cause it is a good film. Honestly, I think it's the best film Pixar has made since Coco. Is it perfect? Of course not. But it deserves much better than it's getting (and I think the advertising is partly to blame). I went with my best friend, and he LOVED it. He said it was one of Pixar's best, and ranked it behind Incredibles and Coco, his two favs.

The best part for me was THE VISUALS. Oh my god... the character designs, animation, environments, effects, art direction, all SPECTACULAR. Seriously!! I kinda see why it cost 200 million hahahaha.

There was actually no BAD element to this film (my opinion)... but yes, the story wasn't the strongest. The story is fun, uplifting and sweet... but it is a pretty mundane tale, with a veneer of "wacky" elements. It's set in a world that is supposed to be totally different from ours and yet it is shockingly like ours (similar to Onward in a way: it a fantasy world, but surprisingly it's almost the same as our reality!). I really enjoyed the slowly developing love story, but the immigrant family elements felt a little heavy handed, and the crux of the story is... government paperwork??? Hmmm... ok. I won't say more to avoid spoilers.

I think this is the problem when these films get too "personal" ... when it about the maker's family history. Since it's based on something so real, it can't really be a fantasy world, beyond the "veneer".

I definitely intend to watch this again. I think there is plenty to take in about the story... and just to see those visuals again!

[Disney's Divinity]

Luke's review comparison of this film's attempt to be a Zootopia and ending up more in the zone of the Bee Movie and Shark Tale feels apt, imo. I similarly feel like the hand-drawn look of the faces and the 3D of the bodies for the fire characters doesn't quite land, although I guess points there for trying to go for a little something out of the box? Or, well, something on the level of a Maui anyway, as far as that character's hand-drawn tattoos. Actually, certain stills give me the feeling of The Amazing World of Gumball, as far as the air and earth characters occasionally verging on the feel of live-action in their weightiness, the hand-drawn of the fire characters' faces, the basic 3D of the water characters, etc. And I agree that names like Ripple, Ember, and Element City make even Cars' often cringey puns seem profound in comparison.

A shame if the Up short isn't very good either if I end up agreeing with him on that, too. I'm not fond of Up as a whole, but I did always like the Carl character. It's really just everything else about it that gets on my nerves (the little boy, the dogs, the bland villain, etc.). I'm glad he liked The Flash better than this film since it looks good to me, a shame it didn't perform well at the box office since it does look good.