Pixar's 'Elemental' Continues to Dominate the Box Office, Defeats Marvel

Elemental (2023), Pixar’s so-called “biggest flop,” continues to dominate at the box office, surpassing an unbelievably popular Marvel opponent.

Wade flexing in front of Ember in Elemental — Credit: Pixar

Directed by Peter Sohn, Elemental tells the story of fire elemental Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis) and water elemental Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie) as they fall in love and navigate the prejudices of their families as well as the citizens of Element City. The film received the lowest average reviews for a Pixar film and had its lowest box office opening since Toy Story (1995), debuting at $29.5 million in June.

However, things turned around the longer Elemental was in theaters. Instead of experiencing a massive drop off in sales after the first weekend, it remained consistent, earning a total worldwide gross of $458.3 million as of August 20 and surpassing one of the most critically-acclaimed Marvel films ever at the box office.

‘Elemental’ Surpasses ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ at the Box Office

Miles Morales unmasked in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse — Credit: Marvel, Sony Pictures

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) is considered by many to be not just the best animated film of the year but one of the best movies, period. Produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the film follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) as they navigate what it means to be a Spider-Person while battling the Spider Society and the dangerous new villain, Spot (Jason Schwartzman).

Across the Spider-Verse has been beloved by critics and audiences alike due to its striking visuals, emotional story, and incredible cast, which features Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Jake Johnson, Andy Samberg, Daniel Kaluuya, and many more. Needless to say, Elemental had some tough competition when it debuted. And surprisingly, it’s beaten its Marvel opponent on one front.

Disney and Pixar’s “Elemental” Wade (L) Ember (R) — Credit: Disney/Pixar

As of August 20, Elemental has passed Across the Spider-Verse in international box office gross, earning $307 million compared to the web-slinger’s $306 million. And it will only grow since Spider-Verse is already becoming available digitally. That’s unbelievably impressive when the Pixar film was considered a box office failure a little over a month ago.

However, Pixar is still behind Marvel/Sony Entertainment domestically, only earning about half of what Across the Spider-Verse made this year. It makes you wonder what would have happened if Disney actually put the same amount of marketing behind an original story like Elemental instead of established IPs that became flops, like Haunted Mansion (2023) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).

Which do you prefer, Elemental or Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!