Why Pixar’s Elio Got Lost in Space at the Box Office

Pixar’s ELIO had all the ingredients for a charming animated hit: beautiful visuals, a quirky premise, and Pixar’s prestigious brand name. Yet, despite promising trailers and an imaginative concept, the movie underperformed significantly at the box office, grossing only $48 million worldwide as of June 2025 against an estimated production budget of $200 million.

Elio’s marketing strategy (or lack there of) likely contributed to the flop. Let’s take a look at what went wrong.

Pixar misread its core audience

ELIO follows a young boy mistakenly identified as Earth's ambassador to the universe - a fun, youthful concept aimed at younger children. However, Pixar’s recent successes (Soul, Elemental, Inside Out) thrived on stories that resonated emotionally with parents and older children alike, tackling mature themes of identity, existentialism, and emotions.

In contrast, the marketing for ELIO overly targeted younger audiences, using overly simplistic and juvenile humor without clearly showcasing the deeper emotional threads Pixar typically masters. For example, Pixar heavily featured clips like Elio’s slapstick interactions with aliens in trailers, rather than focusing on the emotional core (family dynamics, bravery, acceptance), crucial to Pixar’s appeal.

Initial trailers leaned heavily into comedic scenes, such as Elio mispronouncing alien greetings, instead of hinting at emotional stakes, like Elio’s longing for acceptance - a tactic Pixar excelled at in the marketing of hits like Inside Out and Coco.

Failure to build pre-release buzz

Pixar’s past successes often benefited from event-driven marketing tactics to generate anticipation. ELIO, however, relied heavily on traditional trailer releases, billboards, and standard press junkets. Absent were the memorable, buzz-worthy events that boosted previous Pixar hits, including:

• Lack of Experiential Activations: Unlike the strategic activation for Elemental at Cannes, where Pixar staged elaborate installations, ELIO had no major event activation or viral publicity stunt to draw early attention.

• Minimal Social Media Innovation: Pixar failed to engage audiences early through interactive or viral social experiences. For comparison, Pixar’s Turning Red brilliantly activated TikTok through tailored trends, dances, and influencer challenges, building a massive online following prior to its Disney+ premiere.

Misaligned release strategy

Disney released ELIO amidst crowded competition, premiering it in early June 2025, sandwiched between blockbuster titles (How to Train Your Dragon, Marvel's Fantastic Four, and even Disney’s Lilo & Stitch).

This scheduling diluted audience attention and limited the film's visibility.

Poor clarity on storytelling and character

Effective Pixar marketing clearly communicates the emotional journey and stakes of its characters (e.g., Up, Toy Story 3). ELIO’s trailers were visually stunning but vague about the central emotional journey. Audiences were left uncertain why they should care about Elio’s adventure beyond surface-level humor.

Promotional posters and teasers leaned heavily on generic sci-fi adventure visuals without clearly illustrating Elio’s personal stakes or challenges.

What Pixar should have done differently

Pixar should have leaned into emotional storytelling, clearer audience targeting, and experiential activations that previously propelled hits like Coco and Turning Red.

By combining these proven tactics with strategic timing, ELIO could have connected deeper and performed stronger at the box office. Here are some of the specific tactics the company should have considered:

1. Emotional-first marketing

Pixar succeeds by hooking audiences with emotional storytelling first.

Had Pixar emphasized Elio’s personal journey and family relationships clearly in early trailers, similar to Coco’s focus on family legacy, the movie could have resonated more broadly with its core audience (families with children).

2. Experiential pre-launch buzz

Pixar should have replicated successful past marketing activations to create memorable pre-release experiences:

• Interactive Installations: Hosting family-friendly activations at major cultural events or theme parks (e.g., an immersive "Intergalactic Embassy" pop-up at Disney Parks or Comic-Con) would have boosted pre-release buzz and social sharing, similar to how Inside Out activated "Emotion Headquarters" at Disney California Adventure.

• AR/VR Teasers: Leveraging augmented reality (AR) filters or virtual reality (VR) experiences could have helped engage younger demographics and built digital anticipation, a tactic successfully utilized for Frozen II.

3. Strategic timing and audience targeting

Releasing ELIO outside peak blockbuster season (e.g., spring or fall) would have reduced competition.

Pixar previously found off-peak success with films like Onward (March 2020) and Coco (November 2017), both strategically placed away from crowded summer months.

4. Clarity of storytelling

Future marketing should clearly outline the protagonist’s internal struggles and emotional growth early.

Pixar could follow the successful storytelling blueprint of teasers for Up and Inside Out, succinctly communicating a compelling emotional hook early and often.

5. Digital audience engagement and viral trends

Pixar missed leveraging digital-first strategies that propelled hits like Turning Red including these specific tactics:

• TikTok and Instagram Reels: Introducing relatable, emotionally resonant character-focused content (e.g., family dynamics, school anxiety) could have generated organic conversations and anticipation.

• Influencer collaborations: Targeted partnerships with parenting, sci-fi, or animation influencers could have tapped into wider audiences beyond traditional Disney/Pixar demographics.

Box office performance snapshot

Here's a snapshot comparing ELIO's disappointing box-office results against previous Pixar hits that nailed their marketing strategies:

Movie marketing intel: This week in trends

BRAND INTEGRATION AS CONTENT 🎬 Madison Avenue Lands a Bigger Role in Hollywood (Wall Street Journal)
Major brands like U.S. Bank, Mattel, and Hershey are shifting from simple product placement to deeper collaboration on content creation, exemplified by U.S. Bank’s prominent integration into the upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel. This trend provides studios with financial support and built-in audiences but carries risks if integrations feel overly commercial. To succeed, brands and studios must prioritize organic storytelling that complements rather than interrupts audience engagement.

CROSS-PLATFORM THEATRICAL BLITZ 🚗 Apple really, really wants you to go see its 'F1' movie (Business Insider)
Apple deployed its extensive ecosystem including wallet-based ticket promotions, immersive haptic trailers, and surprise in-store appearances featuring stars like Brad Pitt to aggressively market F1: The Movie. This holistic, device-integrated strategy sets a new benchmark in experiential marketing, proving how studios can leverage cross-platform engagement to convert audience excitement into theatrical attendance.