“Elemental” continues its remarkable journey as it claims the title of the top streaming debut for a movie on Disney+ in the current year. This achievement follows the film’s unique box office trajectory, which initially saw a record-worst opening for a Pixar movie but then rebounded with strong performance, amassing a global total of $484 million.
According to Disney, “Elemental” garnered an impressive 26.4 million views worldwide in its first five days of streaming. Disney+, like Netflix, calculates total viewing time by dividing it by a title’s runtime. To put this achievement in context, Disney recently reported that the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” received 16 million views in its first five days on the platform. Additionally, the debut episode of the Star Wars series “Ahsoka” attracted 14 million views in the same timeframe. While specific data for “Turning Red” was not disclosed, Disney stated that “Elemental” boasts the highest opening for an animated movie since the release of “Turning Red,” which made its debut directly on Disney+ in March 2022.
“Elemental,” directed by Peter Sohn, is set in Elemental City, a world inhabited by Fire, Water, Earth, and Air residents. Leah Lewis lends her voice to Ember, while Mamoudou Athie voices Wade. The cast also includes Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O’Hara, Mason Wertheimer, and Joe Pera.
“Elemental” represents a significant success for Disney and Pixar, following the less-than-stellar performance of “Lightyear” the previous year. The film’s box office journey raised questions about the impact of releasing animated titles directly on Disney+ during the pandemic era. “Elemental” has proven that it can excel both in theaters and on streaming platforms.
