‘Toy Story 5’ Receives Strong A CinemaScore as Pixar’s Audience Appeal Grows
Pixar has done it again. ‘Toy Story 5’ has received a strong A CinemaScore from audiences during its opening weekend, showcasing the studio’s remarkable consistency with moviegoers.
Film tracker Luiz Fernando highlighted on X that this marks the 18th time in 30 years and 28 films that Pixar has achieved an A tier or above, maintaining a streak that has never fallen below an A-minus.
All previous films in the ‘Toy Story’ series received A CinemaScores, except for ‘Toy Story 2,’ which earned the even rarer A-plus. The latest film’s impressive audience rating places it alongside the majority of Pixar’s releases, continuing a legacy of captivating storytelling that few studios can rival.
In this installment, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and Jessie face a new kind of villain: Lilypad, a smart tablet device that has its own ideas about what is best for their child, Bonnie, challenging the toys’ entire sense of purpose. Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton directs alongside co-director Kenna Harris, with an original score by Oscar winner Randy Newman, returning for his fifth ‘Toy Story’ feature.
The film opened with a preview haul of $17.5 million, making it the highest preview performance of the year and the second best animated preview debut in history, only behind ‘Incredibles 2,’ which made $18.5 million in previews before going on to earn $182.7 million in its opening weekend. Forecasts predicted a massive debut between $145 to $175 million domestically, which would set a new franchise record for the fifth entry.
The timing of the Juneteenth holiday on a Friday and Father’s Day on Sunday created an ideal opportunity for family moviegoing, with Pixar historically thriving during mid-June holiday weekends. The studio has released several of its biggest summer hits around this time, giving ‘Toy Story 5’ a structural advantage heading into the weekend.
The voice cast reunites Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack, alongside new additions including Greta Lee, Conan O’Brien, Craig Robinson, Keanu Reeves, Ernie Hudson, and Bad Bunny. Taylor Swift also contributed an original song titled “I Knew It, I Knew You” to the film, which was officially announced just weeks before its release.
‘Toy Story 5’ entered the weekend with a 94 percent certified fresh critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and its pre-sales figures surpassed those of ‘Super Mario Galaxy Movie,’ which currently holds the top three-day domestic opening of the year at $131.7 million. With a strong A CinemaScore secured and a franchise-best opening weekend virtually guaranteed, the box office prospects look very promising.
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