Elemental has become a major international box office success, surpassing 2023’s most acclaimed animated film while defying the narrative that it flopped in the process. The Pixar romantic comedy sees a fire element, Ember (Leah Lewis), form a romantic relationship with Wade (Mamoudou Athie), a water element. While the film originally debuted with an underwhelming box office performance, it ended up making an impressive comeback later in its theatrical run.
Now, statistics from Box Office Mojo indicate Elemental has surpassed the critically-acclaimed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at the international box office. The movie has earned $307.2 million internationally as of writing, compared to Across the Spider-verse‘s $305.92 million. This means Pixar’s latest film has had the second-best international box office performance for an animated film of 2023, behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Will Elemental’s Box Office Success Lead To A Sequel?
Pixar confirmed Elemental will make a profit because of its box office comeback. This shows that, while the movie seemed like it wouldn’t turn a profit at first, word of mouth about the film’s quality likely caused it to become a theatrical success. It also underscores how the story of Ember and Wade resonated with people who watched the movie, and how global that same connection to the film wound up being.
Depending on just how profitable the movie ends up being at the end of its theatrical run, it’s possible that a potential Elemental 2 could see the light of day in the future. The sequel could follow the events of the original, taking a look at Ember and Wade’s life following the end of the first film. Another route could be telling an entirely new story set in the same world, allowing the story of the first to have a definitive ending while still exploring the world it’s set in.
The movie’s international box office success is also a good sign for Pixar, who haven’t had a profitable theatrical release since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Elemental has proven itself a worldwide box office success, Pixar may know what direction to take future films to replicate their box office comeback. Now it remains to be seen how Pixar’s 2024 releases, Elio and Inside Out 2, will compare to Elemental‘s theatrical comeback.
