Disney Plus' most-watched movie record has been shattered again as Elemental’s resurgence continues

Storming to number one

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Elementalhas shattered a Disney Plus movie milestone just one week afterThe Little Mermaidhad set a new all-time record on the service.

Pixar’s latest feature film, which only joined Disney’s primary streamer on September 13, brought the heat as it endedThe Little Mermaid’s short reign as the most-watchedDisney Plusmovie of all-time.

According toThe Walt Disney Company,Elementalwas watched 26.4 million times in its first five days on one of the world’sbest streaming services. That’s almost double the number thatThe Little Mermaidracked up, with the latter earning 16 million views in its first five days on the platform.

What makesElemental’s success all the more impressive is that this is the second time Disney Plus' most-streamed movie record has been broken in seven days. BeforeThe Little Mermaidmade its Disney Plus debut on September 6,Hocus Pocus 2had enjoyed an 11-month stint as the streamer’s most-watched film.The Little Mermaidswam to the surface to set a new Disney Plus movie record, usurpingHocus Pocus 2in the process. Now, though, the Hailee Bailey-starring flick has been overthrown byElemental.

A personal touch and elements drawn from director, Peter Sohn’s life brings us the film “about gestures of love.” Dive into Good Chemistry: The Story of #Elemental, now streaming on @DisneyPlus! 🥹❤️‍🔥 pic.twitter.com/sh1yccIYM2September 16, 2023

Elemental’s storming of the Disney Plus movie charts also marks an incredible turnaround for the Peter Sohn-directed flick. Upon the release of its official trailer in March, we suggestedElemental’s hugely impressive visuals made it a shoo-in for the 2023 animated film award race. Pixar is renowned for making films with eye-popping visuals, so there were never any concerns about how goodElementalwould look.

However, the animated movie didn’t get off to a hot start in theaters. Mixed critical reviews and competition from other highly anticipatednew moviesincludingIndiana Jones 5,Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, andThe Flashresulted in initial poor ticket sales forElemental.

That put it on track to become the biggest underachiever in Pixar’s history until, remarkably, it bounced back – likely through positive word of mouth – and ended its theatrical run with a near-$500 million global haul. That figures makes it the ninth-highest grossing movie of 2023 so far.

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Of all thenew Disney Plus moviesto join the platform recently, then,Elementalis by far the most successful. It washed awayThe Little Mermaid’s own staggering performance with ease, replaced another Pixar film – 2022’s critically-acclaimedTurning Red– as the most-watched animated film ever on Disney Plus, and enjoyed an unlikely turnaround in fortunes of which most movies would be proud.

Not bad going for a flick that some observers called the worst movie Pixar had ever made, eh? Expect it to join ourbest Disney Plus moviesguide in the coming weeks. Oh, and if you’d like to streamElementalfor a fraction of the usualDisney Plus price, you can sign up for a three-month subscription the service for as little as $1.99 / £1.99 right now. But be quick! The deal ends tomorrow (September 20), so make full use of the discount before it goes up in a blaze of glory.

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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.

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