Overlay: Performance of Encanto vs. other pandemic-era Disney animated films

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Errors	Missing	Unverified	Supported
1	2	0	6

How were these counts calculated?

Errors (1)

Raya and the Last Dragon holds a 93-94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is higheassessment-error

Missing (2)

The summary omits 'Lightyear' (June 2022), a major Disney/Pixar pandemic-era relomitted-detail Omission of 'Lightyear': The summary lists 'Strange World' (Nov 2022) but ignoreomitted-detail

#Q ORIGINAL QUESTION

How did Encanto perform compared to other Disney animated films released during the COVID-19 pandemic?

#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE

To understand how Encanto performed compared to other Disney animated films released during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to look at three specific categories: box office revenue, streaming impact, and cultural/critical reception.

During the height of the pandemic (2020–2022), Disney released several films under different distribution models: Direct-to-Disney+ (Soul, Luca, Turning Red), Premier Access/Hybrid (Raya and the Last Dragon), and Exclusive Theatrical Window (Encanto, Strange World).

1. Box Office Performance

Encanto (released November 2021) was the most successful Disney animated theatrical release of the pandemic era up to that point, though its numbers were still modest compared to pre-pandemic hits like Frozen II.

Encanto: It earned approximately $96 million domestically and roughly $256 million worldwide. While these numbers would have been considered disappointing in 2019, in late 2021 they represented a significant recovery for the animation sector.
Raya and the Last Dragon (March 2021): Released when many theaters were still closed and simultaneously available on Disney+ for a $30 "Premier Access" fee, it earned about $54 million domestically and $130 million worldwide. Encanto nearly doubled these figures.
Strange World (November 2022): Despite being released later when the box office had further recovered, it performed significantly worse than Encanto, earning only about $73 million worldwide and becoming a financial "bomb" for the studio.
The Streaming-Only Trio: Soul, Luca, and Turning Red had negligible box office returns because they were released directly to Disney+ in the U.S. (though they had limited theatrical runs in some international markets).

2. Streaming Dominance and the "Second Opening"

While Encanto had a respectable theatrical run, its performance was unique because it achieved "phenomenon" status only after it landed on Disney+ on December 24, 2021 (30 days after its theatrical release).

Nielsen Ratings: Once it hit streaming, Encanto dominated the Nielsen streaming charts for weeks, often clocking over a billion minutes watched per week.
Comparison to Luca/Soul: While Soul and Luca were also massive hits on the platform, Encanto benefited from the "theatrical-to-streaming" pipeline. The theatrical window built prestige and awareness, which then exploded when the film became "free" to subscribers for the holidays.

3. Cultural Impact and Music Performance

Encanto outperformed every other pandemic-era Disney film in terms of cultural footprint, driven almost entirely by its soundtrack.

The Billboard Charts: The Encanto soundtrack, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, reached #1 on the Billboard 200. The song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat no Disney song had achieved since "A Whole New World" in 1993 (surpassing even "Let It Go" from Frozen).
Raya, Soul, and Luca: While Soul won the Oscar for Best Original Score, none of the other pandemic-era films produced a "hit" song or had a comparable impact on popular music or social media (TikTok/Instagram Reels).

4. Awards and Critical Recognition

Encanto maintained Disney’s streak of critical success during the pandemic, effectively competing with its internal peers.

Academy Awards: Encanto won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It beat out its Disney/Pixar sibling Luca and the critically acclaimed Raya and the Last Dragon.
Critical Scores: It held a high Rotten Tomatoes score (around 90-91%), which was on par with Soul and Turning Red, and slightly higher than Raya and the Last Dragon.

Summary

Compared to its pandemic-era peers, Encanto was the clear standout winner.

It outperformed Raya and the Last Dragon and Strange World at the box office.
It matched or exceeded the streaming viewership of Soul and Luca.
It achieved a level of musical and cultural saturation that no other Disney film (animated or live-action) reached during the 2020–2022 period.

#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)

[1] Encanto earned $256M worldwide, surpassing Raya ($130M) and Onward ($142M). Lightyear ($226M) was released in June 2022, after Encanto.

[2] Box Office Mojo reports Encanto's domestic gross at $96,093,622.

[3] Box Office Mojo reports Encanto's worldwide gross at $256,786,742.

[4] Box Office Mojo reports Raya's domestic gross at $54,723,032.

[5] Box Office Mojo reports Raya's worldwide gross at $130,423,032.

[6] Box Office Mojo reports Strange World's worldwide gross at $73,621,640.

[7] Soul and Turning Red both hold a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while Encanto holds 91%.

[8] Raya and the Last Dragon holds a 93-94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is higher than Encanto's 91%.

[9] The summary omits 'Lightyear' (June 2022), a major Disney/Pixar pandemic-era release. While Encanto earned more worldwide ($256M vs $226M), Lightyear earned more domestically ($118M vs $96M).

#O MISSED POINTS & OVERSIGHTS

Medium

Omission of 'Lightyear'

The summary lists 'Strange World' (Nov 2022) but ignores 'Lightyear' (June 2022). Including Lightyear would show that Encanto was not the highest domestic grosser of the era, though it remained the worldwide winner.

#C RELATED QUERIES

#01 How did Lightyear perform at the box office compared to Encanto?

#02 What are the Rotten Tomatoes scores for all Disney animated films released 2020-2022?

#S SOURCES

cbr.com cbr.com screenrant.com wikipedia.org comicbook.com mickeyblog.com screenrant.com wikipedia.org cbr.com screenrant.com boxofficemojo.com reddit.com wikipedia.org comicbook.com

#R ORIGINAL AI RESPONSE

▼

To understand how *Encanto* performed compared to other Disney animated films released during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to look at three specific categories: box office revenue, streaming impact, and cultural/critical reception. During the height of the pandemic (2020–2022), Disney released several films under different distribution models: **Direct-to-Disney+** (*Soul, Luca, Turning Red*), **Premier Access/Hybrid** (*Raya and the Last Dragon*), and **Exclusive Theatrical Window** (*Encanto, Strange World*). ### 1. Box Office Performance *Encanto* (released November 2021) was the most successful Disney animated theatrical release of the pandemic era up to that point, though its numbers were still modest compared to pre-pandemic hits like *Frozen II*. * **Encanto:** It earned approximately **$96 million domestically** and roughly **$256 million worldwide**. While these numbers would have been considered disappointing in 2019, in late 2021 they represented a significant recovery for the animation sector. * **Raya and the Last Dragon (March 2021):** Released when many theaters were still closed and simultaneously available on Disney+ for a $30 "Premier Access" fee, it earned about **$54 million domestically** and **$130 million worldwide**. *Encanto* nearly doubled these figures. * **Strange World (November 2022):** Despite being released later when the box office had further recovered, it performed significantly worse than *Encanto*, earning only about **$73 million worldwide** and becoming a financial "bomb" for the studio. * **The Streaming-Only Trio:** *Soul, Luca,* and *Turning Red* had negligible box office returns because they were released directly to Disney+ in the U.S. (though they had limited theatrical runs in some international markets). ### 2. Streaming Dominance and the "Second Opening" While *Encanto* had a respectable theatrical run, its performance was unique because it achieved "phenomenon" status only after it landed on Disney+ on December 24, 2021 (30 days after its theatrical release). * **Nielsen Ratings:** Once it hit streaming, *Encanto* dominated the Nielsen streaming charts for weeks, often clocking over a billion minutes watched per week. * **Comparison to Luca/Soul:** While *Soul* and *Luca* were also massive hits on the platform, *Encanto* benefited from the "theatrical-to-streaming" pipeline. The theatrical window built prestige and awareness, which then exploded when the film became "free" to subscribers for the holidays. ### 3. Cultural Impact and Music Performance *Encanto* outperformed every other pandemic-era Disney film in terms of cultural footprint, driven almost entirely by its soundtrack. * **The Billboard Charts:** The *Encanto* soundtrack, written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, reached **#1 on the Billboard 200**. The song "We Don't Talk About Bruno" reached **#1 on the Billboard Hot 100**, a feat no Disney song had achieved since "A Whole New World" in 1993 (surpassing even "Let It Go" from *Frozen*). * **Raya, Soul, and Luca:** While *Soul* won the Oscar for Best Original Score, none of the other pandemic-era films produced a "hit" song or had a comparable impact on popular music or social media (TikTok/Instagram Reels). ### 4. Awards and Critical Recognition *Encanto* maintained Disney’s streak of critical success during the pandemic, effectively competing with its internal peers. * **Academy Awards:** *Encanto* won the **Oscar for Best Animated Feature**. It beat out its Disney/Pixar sibling *Luca* and the critically acclaimed *Raya and the Last Dragon*. * **Critical Scores:** It held a high Rotten Tomatoes score (around 90-91%), which was on par with *Soul* and *Turning Red*, and slightly higher than *Raya and the Last Dragon*. ### Summary Compared to its pandemic-era peers, *Encanto* was the **clear standout winner**. * It outperformed *Raya and the Last Dragon* and *Strange World* at the **box office**. * It matched or exceeded the **streaming viewership** of *Soul* and *Luca*. * It achieved a level of **musical and cultural saturation** that no other Disney film (animated or live-action) reached during the 2020–2022 period.

#A DIRECT ANSWER (VERIFIED ANALYSIS)

▼

Encanto was the most successful Disney animated film of the pandemic era in terms of worldwide box office ($256M), streaming viewership (27B minutes in 2022), and cultural impact (Billboard #1s). However, it did not have the highest domestic box office (Lightyear earned $118M vs Encanto's $96M) nor the highest critical scores (Soul, Turning Red, and Raya all scored higher on Rotten Tomatoes).

OVERLAY REPORT