‘Toy Story 5’ Outperforms ‘Supergirl’ by 3x at the U.S. Box Office

Pixar has truly enjoyed a remarkable summer, with ‘Toy Story 5‘ at the forefront of this success. The animated sequel debuted with the largest domestic opening of the year, and even after more than a week, it shows no signs of slowing down in theaters.

Directed by Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the story with Kenna Harris, the film sees the return of Tom Hanks as Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, along with Joan Cusack reprising her role as Jessie. The plot introduces Lilypad, a tablet that threatens to become Bonnie’s new favorite toy, creating a central conflict between traditional toys and modern technology.

This premise has clearly resonated with audiences. ‘Toy Story 5’ opened to a franchise-best $160 million domestically, marking the biggest launch of 2026 so far, while also earning an impressive $152 million internationally for a total worldwide debut of $312 million.

The film has maintained its strong performance despite increasing competition. In its second weekend, ‘Toy Story 5’ experienced a typical 56 percent drop but still led the box office with $70 million domestically, pushing its North American total past $297 million and its global earnings to $585 million in under two weeks.

Warner Bros. attempted to make an impact with the DC Studios release ‘Supergirl‘ during the same weekend, but the superhero spinoff struggled to compete with Pixar’s beloved characters. ‘Supergirl’ opened to a disappointing $38 million domestically and $68 million worldwide, a lackluster start for a film that reportedly cost $170 million to produce before marketing.

Audience feedback has highlighted the disparity between the two films. ‘Toy Story 5’ received an A grade on CinemaScore and impressive Rotten Tomatoes ratings in the low nineties, while ‘Supergirl’ garnered a B minus from CinemaScore and a divided 56 percent critics score, particularly failing to connect with younger viewers.

Industry analysts now predict that ‘Toy Story 5’ will continue to climb well past the $500 million mark domestically before its theatrical run concludes, positioning it as the highest-grossing entry in the 31-year-old franchise when adjusted for inflation. This trajectory suggests it could challenge the billion-dollar milestones set by both ‘Toy Story 3’ and ‘Toy Story 4’ globally.

The film’s success has also contributed to Disney surpassing $3 billion at the global box office this year, making it the first studio to reach this milestone in 2026, showcasing the significant impact ‘Toy Story 5’ has had alongside the studio’s other releases.

However, competition remains on the horizon that could challenge this momentum. Illumination’s ‘Minions & Monsters’ is set to release over the July 4th holiday, aiming to capture family audiences, while Sony and Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is anticipated later in the month as one of the summer’s major remaining blockbusters.

For now, though, ‘Toy Story 5’ remains the standout story of the summer, effortlessly holding off a major superhero release. Given its robust midweek numbers, even outside of peak weekend crowds, there’s little reason to believe Woody and the gang will relinquish their top position anytime soon.

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