“Toy Story 5,” the latest installment in one of Disney Pixar's longest-running franchises, topped the box office this weekend.
The technology-driven story, led by fan-favorite characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, grossed $160 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office and a global total of $312 million, according to Rentrak Data. The animated film now has the biggest box office opening of the year, further signaling what could be a huge summer for theaters.
Steven Spielberg's “Disclosure Day” came in second at the box office with a domestic take of $17 million. “Obession,” “Backrooms,” and “Scary Movie” rounded out the top five.
“Toy Story 5” features the original cast, including Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear and Joan Cusack as Jessie. The story follows the beloved toy gang as they struggle with the introduction of technology into their home, with a tablet called Lilypad. The production budget for “Toy Story 5” is between $150 million and $200 million, and a team of about 300 people worked on the film at Pixar headquarters in Emeryville, California.
“Technology versus toys is a very easy concept for families and parents to understand. Every family goes through that to some degree,” said Andrew Cripps, head of theatrical distribution at Walt Disney Studios.
With the successes of “Inside Out 2” and “Zootopia 2,” sequels have proven to be reliable releases for Disney and Pixar in recent years. But “Toy Story” has been a steady juggernaut for the entertainment giant. This new release marks a new debut weekend record for the 31-year-old franchise, surpassing the nearly $121 million debut of 2019's “Toy Story 4.” The original debuted with $29 million in 1995, 1999's “Toy Story 2” hit $57 million and the 2010 third installment took in $110 million.
“The franchise is so big,” Cripps added. “It's in the theme parks. Consumer products are keeping it alive. It's been 31 years with five movies, so it's not like it's overstayed its welcome. They're very good at Pixar. They tell a story when they have a story worth telling, and it seems like this one was worth telling.”
Over the life of the franchise, “Toy Story” has grossed more than $3 billion worldwide. The new film also had the second-biggest animated opening weekend of all time, behind only “Incredibles 2,” which grossed $182 million.
Building on the surprising successes of low-budget horror films like “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” “Toy Story 5” brings another big boost to this year's box office. National ticket sales are up from last year, and Roth Capital Partners forecasts the second quarter will rise 6.5% to $2.8 billion.
With this rebound, there is a chance that the box office will once again reach pre-pandemic numbers. The 2026 box office is 1.1% behind summer 2019 and 16% ahead of last year, according to Paul Dergarabedian, head of market trends at Rentrak Data.
“The industry is on a roll,” Dergarabedian said. “Some unpredictable things have happened so far this year, with the remaining strength of 'Project Hail Mary,' 'Michael' and 'The Devil Wears Prada 2'. Their worldwide grosses are incredibly impressive. It's a phenomenon.”
“Toy Story 5” is just the first of several theatrical films hitting the big screen later this summer. Rentrak predicts this could be another $4 billion summer season domestically, following on the heels of the “Barbenheimer” summer of 2023.
Warner Bros.' DC Studios has “Supergirl” landing later this month. “Minions & Monsters” from Universal Pictures and Illumination, Disney’s live-action “Moana,” Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” are scheduled for release in July.
Times staff writer Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report.
