Disney's "Onward" Isn't a Flop -- Yet

Disney (NYSE: DIS) ruled the box office in 2019, but it's a different story this year. Onward -- the latest theatrical release from its Pixar hit factory -- fell woefully short of expectations over its opening weekend, ringing up roughly $40 million in domestic ticket sales.

It's not a surprise to see the film fail to live up to Pixar's recent releases during their strong debut weekends. Toy Story 4 opened to $121 million last year and Incredibles 2 raised the bar to $183 million the year before that. Those films came from established franchises, and Pixar sequels will understandably fare better with their entrenched fan bases. Toy Story 4 and Incredibles 2 also happened to open in mid-June, during the peak summertime blockbuster season.

Pixar's last nonsequel release was Coco, and it opened to a mere $51 million despite debuting during the seasonally potent Thanksgiving holiday. No one considers Coco a dud. However, with some predicting that Onward would deliver about $50 million in box office receipts at multiplexes across the country, it is initially a letdown. Fortunately for Disney, there's a big difference between the initial grade and the final report card.

Source Fool.com