New Pixar movie Elio has the studio's worst ever opening at the box office, and it's sparked a discussion about why

New Pixar movie Elio has opened to the studio's worst ever box office numbers.

After hitting the big screen this past Friday (June 20), the film made $21 million at the US box office and a total of $35 million globally across its opening weekend. Against a budget of $150 million, it's not looking good for Elio.

Bad reviews can't be blamed for low turnout, either. Critics and viewers alike are reacting positively to the movie, and it's currently certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics' score of 84% and an audience score of 91%. Instead, the internet seems to think another issue is at hand: a lack of marketing from Disney.

"The problem isn’t that audiences aren’t seeing original movies. The problem is that studios aren’t trying hard enough to get people to see them," wrote one Twitter user.

"I think it's kind of snake-eats-tail situation. Studios are not advertising original films because audiences aren't showing up to see them in theaters, so studios put less money toward ads, thus audiences don't know the films are out, so they don't show up in theaters, etc....." someone else replied.

"Everyone I've talked to about it had no idea it existed or that it was released. So, I agree with you. Because the movie itself is great and anyone who has seen it seems to have good things to say about it," agreed another user.

Elio is about a young boy who accidentally becomes planet Earth's intergalactic ambassador after he makes contact with aliens and is beamed up to space. The voice cast includes Avatar's Zoe Saldaña, The Good Place's Jameela Jamil, and Oppenheimer's Matthias Schweighöfer.

Elio is out now in theaters. For more on what to watch, check out our guide to the other upcoming Disney movies on the way in 2025 and beyond.