World

Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ challenge: Originals aren’t breaking big at the box office

Pixar, the studio that introduced the world to blockbuster franchises “Toy Story,” “Monsters, Inc” and “Cars,” has a problem: an original film it spent seven years nurturing bombed at the box office.

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The weak opening of “Elemental” this weekend has thrust the Walt Disney-owned animation pioneer into unfamiliar territory: being a laggard among rivals. Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros.” movie and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” both animated films, have racked up big ticket sales this year.

Pixar’s love story, about overcoming outward differences, was the second-lowest domestic opening in studio history, taking in roughly $30 million in the US and Canada over the weekend.

The results represent a conundrum for the animation hits factory, say experts and former employees: How will Pixar launch new properties when moviegoing audiences only have time for well-known characters?

“As an industry, we need original IP to work,” Tony Chambers, Disney’s head of theatrical distribution, said in an interview over the weekend, using shorthand for “intellectual property.”

“If we, as a studio, don’t take a swing for it, which is what we did with ‘Elemental,’ you don’t create franchises,” Chambers said.

To be sure, the challenge for originals is not Disney’s alone. Universal Studios will confront it later this month with DreamWorks Animation’s coming-of-age fantasy, “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken.”

But the trend packs a big wallop at Disney. New cinematic franchises power the entertainment conglomerate’s profit machine, feeding the pipeline for consumer products and theme park attractions, which accounted for over 60 percent of its segment operating profit last year.

Tom Sito, a veteran Hollywood animator whose credits include “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty & The Beast,” “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” and who teaches at the University of Southern California, said audience tastes are changing.

“The generation now flexing their economic muscle were raised on games and anime,” Sito said. “Their sensibilities and timing are different. Witness the new ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ movie.”

The successes of “Super Mario Bros.” and “Spider-Man” also reflect a new post-COVID-19 trend at box offices, Hollywood insiders say. Audiences have been spoiled by three years of direct-to-streaming releases of original animated features on services including Netflix, Disney+ and Apple Inc’s Apple TV+ at home. These viewers are now more likely to open their wallets at the cinema only for familiar franchises.

All top 10 movies at the box office in 2022 were sequels — such as “Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Top Gun: Maverick” — or reboots such as “The Batman.” This year, “Super Mario Bros.” was the first film to break through the $1 billion mark and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” a sequel to the 2018 Academy Award-winning movie, has beaten expectations at the box office and is already being talked about as a repeat Oscar contender.

“People went for their comfort zone, which is ongoing sagas,” said Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations Co. “Pixar trying to drop an original piece like ‘Elemental’ was always going to be a challenge in the middle of this sequel-fest.”

Pixar reinvention

Interviews with four current and former Pixar senior managers depict a studio caught in transition and still finding its way under new leadership.

In his book, “Creativity, Inc.,” Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull credited Pixar’s brain trust with the studio’s early box-office triumphs. He described how the five men who led the creation of its first feature-length animated film, “Toy Story” — John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Lee Unkrich and Joe Ranft — would give candid feedback to elevate films “from suck to not-suck” in an unforgiving process.

Catmull and other members of the original brain trust are gone, though Docter remains, now in the role of chief creative officer. Under him, the studio is placing bets on young directors who bring fresh perspectives — if not extensive resumes — to the screen, such as “Turning Red”‘s Chinese-born director, Domee Shi, who was the first woman with a sole director’s credit, or “Soul’s’ Kemp Powers, Pixar’s first Black director.

“What we’re seeing is (Pixar) reinventing themselves,” said the former Pixar director.

Competitors, meanwhile, have swooped in to raid Pixar’s talent, including Brad Bird, director of the Oscar-winning films “The Incredibles,” and “Ratatouille,” and Academy Award-winning producer Darla K. Anderson, whose credits include “Coco” and “Toy Story 3.”

Former studio executives and insiders also blame former CEO Bob Chapek with training new audiences to expect big-budgeted Pixar originals to break on Disney+.

During the pandemic’s peak, when many cinemas were closed, Disney launched three Pixar films directly to Disney+_in the US, bypassing theaters.

While the strategy boosted the subscription streaming service’s subscriptions, it sent a message to viewers: It’s OK to wait, said one veteran studio executive who worked at both Disney and Pixar, and worries this decision degraded the perception of Pixar movies, which cost as much as $200 million to make, as must-see theatrical events.

“In the long run, there’s been a bit of a mixed blessing because we’ve trained audiences that these films will be available for you on Disney+,” Docter told Variety. “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.”

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World

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi meets with CEOs of leading Norwegian companies

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met with a group of CEOs from leading Norwegian companies, as part of their participation in the UAE-Norway Investment Forum, held alongside his official visit to the Kingdom of Norway.

During the meeting, H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed underscored the UAE leadership’s commitment to strengthening economic cooperation with its international partners.

He highlighted that investment in innovation and knowledge is a cornerstone for achieving sustainable development, noting that enhancing collaboration with Norwegian companies across key sectors will open new avenues for mutual economic growth between the two countries.

The UAE-Norway Investment Forum, taking place in Oslo, aimed to highlight available investment opportunities and strengthen trade relations between the UAE and Norway, fostering shared interests and supporting innovation and knowledge-based economic visions.

-wam

World

At the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS inaugurates 10th global office, releases four books

As part of its Asian research tour, partnership with Aletihad News Center, and
primary sponsorship of the Indonesia International Book Fair 2024, TRENDS
Research & Advisory inaugurated its office in Jakarta, marking its 10th location
worldwide. It also released four books in Indonesian.
The inauguration event was attended by ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, and
Jordan to Indonesia, chairpersons of the UAE and Indonesian Publishers’
Associations, the Director of TRENDS’ Jakarta office, and a group of researchers
and academics.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS
Research & Advisory, stated that TRENDS’ international offices—set to reach 15
by the end of 2024—aim to enhance the Center’s research efforts and deepen its
role in disseminating knowledge, thus serving as a global knowledge bridge.
He emphasized, “At TRENDS, we believe in the importance of cooperation
between think tanks and prioritize this endeavor. We believe the TRENDS office in
Jakarta will enhance the exchange of knowledge and ideas between think tanks in
Asia and the Middle East, opening new horizons for collaboration in various
fields.”

Four books in Indonesian
As part of the Jakarta office’s inaugural activities, four books were released in
Indonesian, including the 11th and 12th books of the Muslim Brotherhood
Encyclopedia and Global Trends in AI and Automation and the Future of
Competition between Man and Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision.

Hostility to Arab states
The 11th book of the Muslim Brotherhood Encyclopedia, The Concept of the State
According to the Muslim Brotherhood, highlights its hostile stance toward Arab
states since its inception. The group views them as an obstacle to its ascent to
power. It opposed the modern principles upon which these states were built,
considering them incompatible with the group’s unique interpretation of Islam,
which it claimed to embody exclusively.

Exclusion of nonconformists
The 12th book, The Muslim Brotherhood: Rejection of Tolerance and Exclusion of
Nonconformists, examines the Muslim Brotherhood’s stance towards
nonconformists, individuals, and entities. The book reveals the group’s binary view
of the world, categorizing others as allies or adversaries. It ties these relationships
to the Brotherhood’s internal power struggles and self-serving interests.

Global Trends in AI
The third book, Global Trends in AI, explores significant developments in AI and
its impact on various aspects of life, including the economy, society, and
governance. It also offers a comprehensive analysis of technological advancements
in AI, its applications across sectors, the ethical and social challenges it presents,
and its future trajectory.

Automation

The fourth book, Automation and the Future of Competition between Man and
Machine: An Analytical Forward-looking Vision, addresses the growing challenges
faced by the human workforce in the face of widespread automation and AI
applications. The book concludes that while automation presents a significant
challenge to the labor market, it simultaneously creates new opportunities. It
emphasizes the importance of preparing for this shift through skills development,
continuous education, and adopting economic and social policies that support the
workforce.

Prominent pavilion and active presence
The TRENDS’ pavilion at the Indonesia International Book Fair has attracted
numerous visitors, including academic researchers and officials, such as the
ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, and Turkey. Additionally,
chairpersons of Arab and Indonesian publishers’ associations, authors, publishers,
and students visited the pavilion. All were impressed with and praised TRENDS’ diverse, valuable publications. They also commended TRENDS’ active
international presence and ability to address global developments with rigorous
analytical research.
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali honored the esteemed guests, including
ambassadors of the UAE and Bahrain to Indonesia, Wedha Startesti Yudha,
Chairperson of the Indonesia International Book Fair Committee, Arys Hilman
Nugraha, Chairman of the Indonesian Publishers Association, and others,
presenting them with TRENDS’ publications and commemorative shields.
Additionally, he awarded TRENDS’ Research Medal to Ni Made Ayu Martini
Indonesian Deputy Minister of Marketing, Tourism and Creative Economy
It is worth noting that during its current Asian research tour, TRENDS announced
the launch of the TRENDS Research Medal, awarded to individuals who make
significant contributions to the development of scientific research and promote collaboration with TRENDS in strengthening a culture of research across various fields.

World

US determined to prevent full-scale war in Middle East, Joe Biden tells UNGA79

US President Joe Biden highlighted the US Administration’s determination to prevent a wider war that engulfs the entire Middle East region, noting that a diplomatic solution “remains the only path to lasting security to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes on the border safely”.

In remarks he made today before the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA79), the US President said, “Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest,” adding that a diplomatic solution is still possible.

He also touched on “the rise of violence against innocent Palestinians on the West Bank”, and the need to “set the conditions for a better future”, which he said featured “a two-state solution, where the world — where Israel enjoys security and peace and full recognition and normalised relations with all its neighbours, where Palestinians live in security, dignity, and self-determination in a state of their own”.

President Biden underscored the ceasefire and hostage deal put forth by Qatar and Egypt, which the UN Security Council endorsed. He said, “Now is the time for the parties to finalise its terms, bring the hostages home,” adding that this would help ease the suffering in Gaza, and end the war.

-WAM