Elemental Is Still In The Game, Thanks To A Strong Second Weekend Box Office Hold

Last weekend's big movie releases started off in similarly dismal positions at the box office, but now they're heading in very different directions. While "The Flash" is looking at a rough second weekend drop of more than 70 percent, it looks like Pixar's "Elemental" still has a chance to turn things around. The colorful animated tale of fire-and-water romance is set to drop by 39 percent or less in its sophomore weekend.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Friday's numbers put "Elemental" in a tight race with "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" for the No. 1 spot at the box office this weekend, with both movies expected to gross $17-19 million. That's obviously an outstanding showing for "Across the Spider-Verse," which is now in its fourth weekend at the box office and thriving despite the summer competition. The animated superhero film is expected to pass $300 million at the domestic box office on Sunday.

But while "Across the Spider-Verse" was already safely a hit, strong legs could be an essential lifeline for "Elemental." Pixar has been struggling to find its feet at the box office since Disney released three of its movies — "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red" — direct to streaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following back-to-back hits "Incredibles 2" and "Toy Story 4," the animation studio's return to theaters in 2022 was less than triumphant, with "Lightyear" grossing $50.5 million at the box office in its domestic debut, and dropping 65 percent in its second weekend. Though "Elemental" opened even lower, at $26.9 million, it could end up outpacing "Lightyear" if this hold continues.

"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" serves as a recent example of just how far strong legs (and a nice pair of boots) can carry a movie. It was easy to count "The Last Wish" out after it yielded just $12.4 million at the crowded Christmas weekend box office, but it turned out the old cat had a few lives left. With a dearth of other offerings for parents looking to entertain younger children at the movie theater, "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish" drew steady crowds for months, both at home and in overseas markets. By the end of its run, it had grossed $480.9 million worldwide — an outstanding turnaround from such a modest start.

With Disney no longer dominating the field, animation in major releases has become more varied and interesting. "The Last Wish" director Joel Crawford has speculated that "'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse' opened up the mainstream animation industry to realize that audiences don't just want a CG movie that looks totally like CG." In the five years since "Into the Spider-Verse" released, the smooth, polished look popularized by Disney and Pixar has given way to more sketchy, scribbly, experimental looks. The upcoming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," for example, features animation inspired by the kind of cartoon doodles that teenagers do in their notebooks.

By contrast, "Elemental" has a look that's pretty classic Pixar, though elevated by the challenges of creating characters made of fire and water. The film has a solid score of 75 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and an "A" CinemaScore from audience exit polling, so this strong hold can be partly attributed to positive word of mouth. Then there's the fact that U.S. schools have broken up for the summer, and parents are seeking out kid-friendly movies. If the good fortune continues for "Elemental," it could be the start of Pixar's box office comeback.