Pixar's Elio is finding major Disney+ success after flopping at the box office earlier this year. The renowned animation studio's latest animated adventure, which came to theaters in June, started streaming on Disney+ worldwide on Wednesday, September 17. However, this comes after the movie earned a meager $154 million at he global box office (one of the worst marks in studio history).
Elio has shot to the top of streaming charts after coming to Disney+. The space-faring animated adventure from the studio behind hits like Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Inside Out, is currently sitting atop Disney+'s Top 10 in several key regions, proving a strong start on the streamer for the 2025 box office flop.
According to FlixPatrol, Elio is number one on Disney+ in major territories, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada.
Elio notably underperformed at the box office earlier this year, bringing in $154,069,602 worldwide. This was enough for the movie to earn the title of the second-lowest-earning widely released theatrical film in Pixar history.
The only projects from the acclaimed animation house that have done worse at the ticket window are Onward, Luca, Soul, and Turning Red (the latter three released directly to streaming during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic).
In The Direct's review of the 2025 Pixar romp, reviewer Jeff Ewing called Elio "Imaginative but wildly uneven," praising its colorful world and characters, but saying its narrative lacked cohesion and did not mesh thematically with what the film was trying to achieve.
Elio follows a young boy, for whom the movie takes its name, who, after feeling like an outsider his entire life, is abducted by aliens and thrust into an intergalactic conspiracy that he must help rectify. Directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina, the movie stars Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, and Jameela Jamil as part of its star-studded cast.
Why Is Elio Thriving Now After Failing in Theaters?
Elio shooting to the top of the Disney+ charts should be an exciting prospect for the House of Mouse, but it should not be read into too deeply (at least not for now).
At the time of writing, the 2025 box office flop has only been on streaming for a couple of days. New titles, especially those available exclusively in theaters, often see a surge in viewership in their first few days on streaming. So, it is no surprise that Elio is sitting pretty at the top of the charts.
However, if this position were to last several days/weeks, there may be some lessons to be gleaned from the movie's performance.
This could be an example of a new film coming to streaming for the first time and seeing a wave of success, or it could indicate a greater trend for Pixar movies as a whole (especially those not associated with an existing IP).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney opted to bring Pixar movies to streaming day-and-date with theaters, changing how general audiences see the studio and its titles going forward.
Before 2020, Pixar could launch a new franchise and see an impressive return, but that is no longer the case. Since then, only things like Inside Out 2 have been a guaranteed payday for Pixar.
That could factor, at least a little, into why Elio is blowing up on Disney+ the way it is. Simply put, there are members of the general audience who no longer see Pixar films as theatrical products and have defaulted to, "Oh, I'll wait for streaming," when they see a new Pixar movie on the horizon.
