Pixar Blames Fans For ‘Elio’ Flopping, Says ‘Stop Complaining’ About Lack Of Original Content

Disney and Pixar’s latest offering is lagging well behind box office expectations — and the animation studio isn’t taking it sitting down.

“Elio” has earned just $35 million worldwide since its June 20 release, a record-low for Pixar. The film — which addresses themes like childhood and social isolation through the story of “Elio, a space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession” — only brought in $21 million in ticket sales during its first three days in theaters.

In response to the disappointing numbers, Pixar shared a snarky post on its official Instagram account.

In the video, a woman addresses the reaction to “Elio,” which isn’t a remake or sequel, saying “Stop complaining that Disney doesn’t make original stories if you don’t show up to movie theaters and support them in the first place.”

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“Who… who said that?” a woman in her car says by way of reaction. “Oh my gosh, I thought I was the only one in my car. But anyway, there’s a new original story,” she continued, holding up a photo of the movie poster.

“Look at that, from Disney-Pixar, called Elio,” she went on. “You should go ahead and support it, it comes out this Friday so yeah, you should go to the movie theater, thank you.”

Commenters on the Instagram post noted the lack of marketing for the film, which they indicated may have contributed to the lackluster results.

“Maybe actually market the movie then???” one comment read.

“Some marketing would’ve helped… but yes it deserves way better; it’s such a good movie!!” another commenter echoed.

“I think what drove people away from this one was reusing that same animation style. So many people are wanting something different and we’ve now gotten it quite a few times with movies and shorts,” another person wrote.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond excited to see this new movie! I think it’s just time to switch up the animation again. Also there was barely any marketing for the movie,” a third said.

“Elio” is the latest in a long line of Disney flops, but there have also been several success stories, including the live action remake of “Lilo & Stitch,” which earned over $945 million worldwide.