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- Big numbers: How Toy Story 5 opened the summer
- What drew audiences back to Woody and crew
- How sequels are reshaping animation economics
- Weekend box office snapshot: Top performers
- Deeper look: Success stories and cautionary tales
- Franchise flops and underperformers
- Industry perspective and summer forecasts
- What to watch next in theaters
Pixar’s newest chapter has families lining up. Toy Story 5 blasted into theaters and quickly became the weekend’s dominant draw, reshaping summer box office expectations.
Big numbers: How Toy Story 5 opened the summer
The animated sequel launched with a powerful domestic debut. Playing in 4,425 North American theaters, Toy Story 5 earned an estimated $160 million in its opening weekend. That haul sits at the high end of forecasts and tops this year’s domestic debuts.
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Internationally, the film added $152 million, producing a global opening near $312 million. The production budget stands at around $250 million, before marketing is counted.
By raw ticket sales, the entry set a new unadjusted record for the Toy Story franchise. It also posted the second-largest opening weekend for an animated film, trailing only The Incredibles 2.
What drew audiences back to Woody and crew
Critical and audience response helped fuel the box office. Reviews leaned strongly positive and exit polling shows moviegoers embraced the film. That combination typically extends a film’s run.
Director Andrew Stanton revisits familiar heroes—Woody, Buzz, Jessie—while folding in a modern conflict: Bonnie’s attachment to a new child’s device called the Lilypad. The setup speaks to parents and kids alike.
High-profile creative elements amplified interest. Pop star Taylor Swift contributed an original song to the soundtrack, bringing extra media attention.
How sequels are reshaping animation economics
Animated follow-ups continue to command audiences. Recent franchise entries demonstrated massive returns, proving studios can reliably invest in tentpole series.
Examples this year and last show sequels pulling in extraordinary sums. If Toy Story 5 maintains momentum, it could become the franchise’s top earner, surpassing Toy Story 4’s lifetime gross.
Weekend box office snapshot: Top performers
- Toy Story 5 — $160M weekend from 4,425 theaters; global opening ~$312M.
- Disclosure Day — $17M from 3,824 locations; steep decline from its debut.
- Obsession — $14.2M from 3,053 theaters; small weekend drop and strong cumulative totals.
- Backrooms — $7.3M from 2,851 theaters; consistent box office for a low-budget horror hit.
- Scary Movie — $6.7M across 2,725 venues; solid returns on a modest budget.
- Leviticus — $2.74M debut from 1,076 theaters; indie horror with festival buzz.
- The Death of Robin Hood — $2.65M opening from 1,782 sites; mixed reviews may limit legs.
Deeper look: Success stories and cautionary tales
Disclosure Day showed a notable audience concentration. The film’s viewers skew older and male, suggesting it struggled to expand beyond its base. After two weekends, global receipts reached roughly $160 million. Given a production cost near $115 million, industry math indicates the picture will need sizable continuations in overseas markets to turn a clear profit.
Obsession, a horror sleeper, has been the opposite. With modest production costs, its steady weekend declines have translated into huge profits. Domestic tallies climbed past $215 million, with the worldwide total near $333 million.
Backrooms follows a similar arc. The A24 release has become the studio’s top earner ever, passing many expectations with North American gross around $175 million and global receipts nearing $301 million.
Paramount’s Scary Movie performed well against its price tag. Produced for roughly $30 million, its current totals leave room for healthy returns and strong profit margins.
Indie arrivals and mixed receptions
- Leviticus: festival pedigree and positive reviews could keep it playing through summer.
- The Death of Robin Hood: mixed press and a C+ CinemaScore suggest limited staying power.
Franchise flops and underperformers
Not every high-profile release is finding an audience. Masters of the Universe has struggled to cover costs.
The adaptation recently added about $5.6 million in its third weekend, leaving North American gross near $56 million and global totals around $101.9 million. With a budget close to $200 million, the film looks headed toward sizable losses.
The Mandalorian and Grogu opened with stronger brand recognition but has softened quickly. Its cumulative global haul sits over $320 million against a production cost near $165 million. The decline points to challenges translating streaming success into blockbuster theatrical returns.
Industry perspective and summer forecasts
Box office analysts see the season as one of the most promising since theaters reopened. Family films and franchise entries are driving large attendance figures.
Analyst David A. Gross notes the industry benefits when studios build on beloved characters. When stories sustain goodwill from film to film, studios often capture repeat ticket buyers.
Current tracking indicates summer grosses could top $4 billion over the next four months. That’s only the second time since the pandemic began that the season may reach such levels.
What to watch next in theaters
- Next weekend: Supergirl and Jackass: Best and Last arrive.
- Later this summer: Minions & Monsters, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
These releases will test whether strong opening weekends translate into long-term wins for studios and help define whether 2026 becomes another boom season for movie theaters.
