- The box office is recovering, but theaters have lacked exclusive high-profile animated movies.
- Disney debuted "Luca" exclusively on Disney+.
- Others have been released simultaneously on streaming services, like Universal's "Boss Baby" sequel.
The domestic box office is on the road to recovery, buoyed by hit sequels like "F9" and "A Quiet Place Part II."
But one popular genre that could jumpstart the theater business even more has either been missing from theaters or haven't been exclusive to them: animated family movies.
"Right now, the main absences felt [at the box office] are those of family-centric and high-profile animated films," said Shawn Robbins, the Box Office Pro chief analyst.
Pixar is reliable at the box office, for instance. 2019's "Toy Story 4" grossed $434 million domestically and more than $1 billion worldwide. 2017's "Coco," an original movie and not a sequel, made $210 million domestically and $807 million globally.
But Disney's latest Pixar movie, "Luca," went straight to Disney+ last month following Pixar's "Soul," which also debuted exclusively on the streaming service in December. (Some staffers aren't too pleased.)
Other high-profile animated and family films have received hybrid releases, including Warner Bros.' "Tom and Jerry"; Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon"; and Universal's "The Boss Baby: Family Business," which arrived last weekend in theaters and on Peacock.
This summer, "Space Jam: A New Legacy" will get a day-and-date release in theaters and on HBO Max. Paramount's "Paw Patrol" movie will also debut simultaneously in theaters and on Paramount+.
The day-and-date model doesn't necessarily tank the box office. Warner Bros., which is releasing all of its movies this year that way, has seen some success with it, particularly with "Godzilla vs. Kong." The movie earned more than $100 million domestically despite also streaming on HBO Max. Even "Tom and Jerry" made a decent $46 million in the US.
But the absence of exclusive animated family films has been noticeable as the theatrical industry looks to recover. It needs all the help it can get.
Studios have been the most willing to experiment with animated movies during the pandemic, beginning with "Trolls: World Tour" last year. It was the first movie to skip theaters for a digital-rental release, and its success prompted NBCUniversal's CEO Jeff Shell to say that the company would be releasing movies on "both formats" going forward.
And there may be good reason for that.
In an April survey of 1,904 of its users, the movie and TV tracking app TV Time found that family-friendly movies were the ones that respondents would most prefer to watch at home, such as "Space Jam: A New Legacy."
After media companies focused on their streaming businesses during the pandemic, animated films are a reliable way to lure potential subscribers.
But things look more optimistic for theaters this fall. Paramount's "Clifford" movie, MGM's "Addams Family 2," Sony's latest "Hotel Transylvania," and Disney's "Encanto" are all getting exclusive theatrical releases — for now.
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