US box office: New Pixar film ‘Elemental’ opens weak for Disney

LOS ANGELES — Pixar's new animated movie "Elemental" debuted with $30 million in ticket sales at US and Canadian box offices over the weekend, according to estimates from distributor Walt Disney Co on Sunday.

The opening figure for the United States and Canada fell shy of box office forecasts and ranked among the lowest ever for a film from Pixar, the acclaimed animation studio behind "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and other classics.

"Elemental," a story about overcoming outward differences, added $15 million overseas for a global total of $45 million, Disney said. The film opened in just three major international markets and will expand to other countries in the coming weeks.

Pixar is looking to rebound from the box office disappointment of its 2022 release "Lightyear," the origin story of "Toy Story" hero Buzz Lightyear. The movie brought in an earthbound $226.7 million in global ticket sales, a fraction of the $1 billion take for 2019's "Toy Story 4."

The director and producer of "Lightyear" were laid off last month, Reuters first reported, as Disney shed 7,000 jobs across the company in a cost-cutting effort.

"Elemental" is set in Element City, where Fire, Water, Earth and Air characters live together. An unexpected friendship between Fire and Water borrows from director Peter Sohn’s relationship with his Italian-American wife, which he initially hid from his parents. — Reuters