‘Toy Story 5’ Dominates Box Office With Record-Breaking Opening Weekend

Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie are proving that audiences still adore their beloved toys. Disney and Pixar’s ‘Toy Story 5’ has launched with an impressive $160 million opening weekend in North America, marking it as the biggest domestic debut of the year.

Box office estimates indicate that the animated sequel achieved this remarkable opening from 4,425 theaters across the US and Canada. This performance surpasses Universal’s ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, which debuted with $131.7 million, making ‘Toy Story 5’ the top movie debut of the year thus far.

The latest installment in the Pixar franchise has also set new records within its own series. It now holds the title for the largest opening weekend for a ‘Toy Story’ film, surpassing the previous record of $120 million set by ‘Toy Story 4’ in 2019.

Additionally, the film achieved the second-largest animated opening weekend in history, trailing only behind Disney and Pixar’s ‘Incredibles 2’, which garnered $182.7 million in 2018.

The success of ‘Toy Story 5’ wasn’t confined to North America. International markets contributed an additional $152 million, bringing the film’s global opening total to $312 million. The production budget is estimated to be around $250 million, excluding marketing expenses.

Directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, ‘Toy Story 5’ sees the return of some of the franchise’s most iconic characters. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Woody, Tim Allen returns as Buzz Lightyear, and Joan Cusack is back as Jessie.

The storyline follows the toys as they face a new challenge. Their owner Bonnie becomes enamored with a new smart device named Lilypad, compelling Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang to vie for her attention against technology.

The film has garnered positive feedback from both audiences and critics alike. ‘Toy Story 5’ currently boasts a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while CinemaScore audiences awarded it an “A” grade.

The film’s impressive performance continues a trend of successful family films at the box office. Recent animated sequels such as ‘Inside Out 2’ and ‘Zootopia 2’ have also become massive hits worldwide, earning $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion respectively.

Box office analyst David A. Gross, who operates the newsletter FranchiseRe, noted that family films have played a crucial role in the industry’s recovery.

“Family moviegoing has been leading the industry since it came roaring back from the pandemic in 2023. Much of the genre’s success is attributed to sequels and live-action remakes,” Gross remarked. “Pixar and Disney excel at expanding their series from installment to installment. It’s truly impressive.”

While ‘Toy Story 5’ triumphed over the weekend, other films experienced contrasting outcomes. Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film ‘Disclosure Day’ earned $17 million in its second weekend, reflecting a 62% drop from its opening. The film has accumulated $160 million globally but is under pressure due to its $115 million budget.

In the meantime, horror films continued to thrive. ‘Obsession’ brought in $14.2 million during its sixth weekend, achieving significant success with a worldwide total of $333 million. ‘Backrooms’ also remained strong, adding $7.3 million and reaching $300 million globally.

New releases faced more challenges. A24’s ‘The Death of Robin Hood’, featuring Hugh Jackman, opened with only $2.65 million, while Neon’s ‘Leviticus’ debuted with $2.74 million.

The robust performance of ‘Toy Story 5’ occurs during a bustling summer movie season, which is anticipated to be one of the largest since the pandemic. Rentrak data indicates that the summer box office is currently outpacing last year and nearing 2019 levels.

David A. Gross believes the industry is regaining its strength.

“After last week’s breather, the box office is back to running ahead of the pre-pandemic average,” Gross stated. “Business is excellent.”

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