Hey, I hate Chapek as much as the next guy. He’s spineless and untrustworthy; but it’s funny that a lot of you think he’s some moustache-twirling villain who will take glee in the — unlikely — death of theatres. The general public for the most part doesn’t care, either; in fact, a lot of parents prefer the quicker releases to D+ (I’m not saying they’re right; it’s just the truth).
Lightyear is a misfire, for sure, but all studios have those. It must have seemed like a safe bet — a spin-off of possibly the most popular character from Pixar’s biggest, most-iconic IP. Some have years and years of failures and still manage to survive.
Pixar is doing fine. Animation as an art form has the most potential, even now. Its movies will be released in theatres, because straight to D+ releases cannot be sustained in the long run.