Global Box Office: Elio Hits Record Low for Pixar, 28 Years Later Debuts Solidly

The latest global box office results reveal a stark contrast in performance for new releases, with Pixar’s animated adventure Elio suffering a historically weak debut while Sony’s horror sequel 28 Years Later delivered a strong opening weekend.

Pixar’s Elio Faces Uphill Battle After Dismal Opening

Disney and Pixar’s ambitious animated film Elio crash-landed at the box office, opening to a disappointing $35 million globally. This included a mere $14 million from international markets. This performance marks the worst-ever debut for the acclaimed animation studio behind hits like Toy Story, The Incredibles, and Finding Nemo. The previous lowest opening was held by 2023’s Elemental, which debuted with $44.5 million worldwide ($14.9 million international).

Despite the poor start, Elio, an intergalactic tale about a young boy mistaken for Earth’s ambassador by aliens, has reportedly received positive feedback from audiences. Disney is hopeful that positive word-of-mouth might help the film find its legs and endure in theaters over the coming months, mirroring the trajectory of Elemental, which saw a remarkable turnaround and climbed to a global total of $496 million.

However, this potential endurance is critical, given that Elio carried a substantial production budget of $150 million, not including significant global marketing costs. The film faces competition for family audiences from Universal’s live-action How to Train Your Dragon, though direct animated rivals are few until Paramount’s Smurfs arrives in mid-July. In South Korea, Elio opened in second place for the weekend, grossing $1.4 million (with a five-day total of $1.7 million), trailing How to Train Your Dragon.

28 Years Later Scares Up a Strong Start

In brighter news for the industry, Sony’s highly anticipated zombie sequel 28 Years Later had a solid global debut, earning $60 million worldwide in its opening weekend. This total was split evenly, with $30 million coming from North American theaters and $30 million from 59 international markets. Key international territories contributing to the strong start included the United Kingdom ($6.4 million), Mexico ($2.7 million), Australia ($1.7 million), and South Korea ($1.1 million).

The film, set almost three decades after the original rage virus outbreak and a continuation of the series started by 2002’s 28 Days Later and 2007’s 28 Weeks Later, was a subject of a bidding war between studios. With a production budget of $60 million, its opening weekend already equals its cost, putting it on track to quickly surpass 28 Days Later‘s $75 million worldwide total to become the highest-grossing film in the franchise.

“28 Years Later” is intended to ignite a new zombie trilogy, spearheaded by original creators Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland. Adding to Sony’s confidence, a sequel, titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, has already been filmed back-to-back and is slated for a 2026 release, with Nia DaCosta directing one of the planned follow-ups. While domestic audiences gave the film a “B” CinemaScore, typically expected for the horror genre, its strong opening signals keen interest in the revived franchise.

Franchise Hits Continue with How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch

Beyond the new releases, successful franchises continued to perform strongly. Universal’s live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon maintained its impressive global run, leading international charts for a second consecutive weekend with $53.5 million from 81 markets. Its global total now stands at a robust $385 million after just two weekends ($197 million international). Domestic audiences also showed sustained enthusiasm, with the film projected for a strong second weekend. The continued success bodes well for Universal, which has already announced a live-action sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2, for 2027.

Meanwhile, Disney saw blockbuster success with its live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch. Despite Elio’s struggles, the Hawaiian tale has soared, grossing $910 million globally after five weekends, including a massive $523.6 million from overseas markets and a strong domestic total nearing $400 million. The film is now expected to become the first movie of the year to cross the coveted billion-dollar mark worldwide.