Yahoo Movies Pixar boss admits Disney+ releases have caused an issue
Pixar boss Pete Docter has admitted that the studio's recent strategy of releasing its movies on Disney+ has caused issues.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the animation studio has released most of its movies – namely Soul, Luca and Turning Red – direct to the streaming service, while its eventual return to cinemas with Lightyear ended up bombing at the box office.
Its latest offering, Elemental (which is also getting a theatrical release), has also had a shaky start, recently earning the unwanted record for the lowest debut ever for a Pixar movie on its opening weekend.
Related: Pixar's new movie Elemental gets mixed first reviews
Speaking before Elemental's release, Pixar chief creative officer Docter reflected on the original strategy behind putting movies straight on Disney+.
"We made Soul for the big screen," he noted to Variety. "We looked at every frame. There’s so much detail and gorgeous imagery and work that was done that you can’t quite appreciate on a smaller screen.
"However, there was a pandemic going on. On one hand, we were so thankful that there was Disney+ so that we could release the film and people could see it. Otherwise, it would just sit on a shelf for a year and a half."
Doctor admitted that in the long run "there’s been a bit of a mixed blessing" as they have "trained audiences that these films will be available for you on Disney+".
Related: Lightyear filmmakers among layoffs at Disney Pixar
"And it’s more expensive for a family of four to go to a theater when they know they can wait and it’ll come out on the platform," he added.
"We’re trying to make sure people realize there’s a great deal you’re missing by not seeing it on the big screen. In the case of Elemental, it’s a beautiful spectacle, there’s detail everywhere. I think you feel it more and it’s a better experience.
"There’s the shared experience as well, that you get to see it in a room with strangers, and there’s something about the energy that comes from other people that makes the whole experience more vibrant and interesting."
Elemental is out now in US cinemas and is released in UK cinemas on July 7.
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