As expected, “Toy Story 5” is a massive hit. $312 million worldwide. The biggest box office opening in the franchise’s history. Stellar reviews. An A CinemaScore from audiences.
This thing is a home run all around, and really drives home the fact that “Toy Story” is one of the best cases of brand management in Hollywood history. This series has managed to hit with several generations without missing a beat.
It started with the groundbreaking 1995 film, which was hard won — there were disastrous test screenings and a way-too-dark early cut. But Pixar built a foundation for storytelling excellence with that movie, making a habit of rewriting and remaking each movie until it was absolutely great. It ushered in an era of CG animation and grossed over $370 million worldwide.
“Toy Story 2” followed in 1999, another smash hit, also hard won — Disney originally tried to make a direct-to-video sequel, as was their modus operandi at the time, but Pixar’s John Lasseter wrestled control back and crashed a complete overhaul. It grossed nearly $500 million.
Then, a masterstroke: Pixar waited until 2010 to make another “Toy Story” movie, this time centering a story about an all-grown-up Andy heading to college. Andy’s experience was directly reflected in those who were kids when the first movies came out, and were now facing a personal crossroads of their own in their late teens and early twenties. Critically acclaimed, the film grossed over $1 billion and was nominated for Best Picture.
And in 2019 came “Toy Story 4,” which proved this franchise wasn’t just for millennials and their parents. Ask any Gen Z-er and they’ll fondly recall “Toy Story 4” as their first “Toy Story” movie in theaters. The semi-reboot of the franchise grossed over $1 billion and even topped the worldwide gross of “TS3.”
That brings us to “Toy Story 5,” which broke a franchise record for opening weekend and should have no problem busting past the $1.073 billion that “Toy Story 4” grossed. Families fueled the box office, of course — this time millennial and younger Gen X parents with their own kids. But also, much the same way seeing “Toy Story 3” was a rite of passage for those who grew up with the earlier movies, twentysomethings turned out to see what Woody and the gang were up to this time around.
Key to all of this is the fact that all the “Toy Story” movies are great. Pixar has a pretty terrific quality control system, especially when it comes to their cornerstone franchise. But the studio also toed the line in between film releases of keeping the characters current with shorts and merch drops while also not wearing out their welcome.
Each film is an event, and moviegoers treat it as such.
Expect “Toy Story 5” to have just as long a life as the previous installments of the franchise.
Now, on to the rest as we tackle the push to get “Ray Gunn” in IMAX theaters, why Amazon’s decision to drop its OpenAI movie is troubling, whether ’80s IP is dead and more in this week’s newsletter.
Now, on to the rest of this week’s column as we tackle the push to get “Ray Gunn” in IMAX theaters, why Amazon’s decision to drop its OpenAI movie is troubling, whether ’80s IP is dead and more in this week’s newsletter.
Box Office: ‘Toy Story 5’ Sets New Franchise Record With $312 Million Global Opening
Disney/Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” set a new franchise record and a new top 3-day opening for 2026 this weekend, opening to $160 million from 4,425 domestic locations and $312 million worldwide, topping the $121 million domestic/$249 million global opening of “Toy Story 4” in 2019.
“Toy Story 4” went on to post a final theatrical total of $434 million domestic and $1.07 billion worldwide, a benchmark that “Toy Story 5” is more than capable of clearing as it holds strong critical and audience reception scores across the board while Warner Bros./DC’s “Supergirl” is currently tracking for a domestic opening next weekend in the $40 million range.
Universal/Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” may bring some competition in July, but we’ve seen Illumination and Pixar co-exist in 2024, when “Inside Out 2” set a then-global record total of $1.7 billion even as “Despicable Me 4” grossed $972 million alongside it. These two animated films should lead into a robust second half of the summer, further supported by films like “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
The success of “Toy Story 5” came partly at the expense of Universal/Amblin’s “Disclosure Day,” which fell 62% from its $44.5 million opening weekend for a $17 million second frame. While there’s continued turnout from longtime fans of Steven Spielberg, many of whom are over the age of 45, the only somewhat positive word-of-mouth isn’t standing up compared to the four-quadrant popularity of “Toy Story.”
Focus Features’ “Obsession” is third with $14.2 million in its sixth weekend, finally dropping below its $17.1 million opening after more than a month in theaters. With a domestic total of $215 million, it joins Warner Bros.’ “Sinners” as only the second original film since the start of 2018 to cross $200 million in North America.
A24’s “Backrooms” is fourth, reaching $175 million domestic and $300 million worldwide. with $7.5 million in its fourth weekend. Paramount/Miramax’s “Scary Movie” completes the top 5 with $6.7 million in its third weekend, bringing its total past $200 million worldwide against a $30 million budget. – Jeremy Fuster
The Spotlight
Your must-read of the week: Drew Taylor has the inside story of the battle to get “Incredibles” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” director Brad Bird’s animated noir riff “Ray Gunn” in IMAX theaters and why Netflix chose David Fincher’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” spinoff instead. An exclusive deep-dive you won’t read anywhere else. Read the full story here.
New Releases
Amazon Dumps OpenAI Movie: Amazon dropped Luca Guadagnino’s nearly finished Sam Altman movie, a troubling development from Big Tech as Roger Cheng writes.
Who Will Buy It?: Guadagnino’s film, “Artificial,” is now being shopped but Netflix and Focus have already passed.
Are the ’80s Extinct IP?: After “Masters of the Universe” bombed, is it time for studios to rethink ’80s nostalgia? Drew Taylor and Umberto Gonzalez investigate.
YouTube Ain’t Afraid: Amidst the “Backrooms” and “Obsession” explosion at the box office, Kayla Cobb got YouTube’s POV on creators going Hollywood.
A New Horror: Casey Loving spoke with the filmmaker behind indie horror film “Leviticus” about the movie’s tackling of LGBTQ themes.
“Disclosure Day” Scene-Stealer: Jeremy Fuster spoke with newscaster-turned-actress Courtney Grace about her emotional third-act scene in Spielberg’s latest.
Annecy Dispatches: Drew Taylor will be at the Annecy Animation Film Festival all week, so look for his dispatches on TheWrap — like this on “Minions & Monsters” and this on WB and DC’s “Dynamic Duo.”
Concession Stand
“Disclosure Day” writer David Koepp opens up on how he came up with the movie’s last line.
Curry Barker’s next movie will be an original horror film for Universal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster. Where does this leave “Texas Chainsaw?”
“The Grinch” is coming back, but will Jim Carrey don the makeup he famously hated, or will they go CG?
Wagner Moura is in talks to join Bradley Cooper and Margot Robbie in the “Ocean’s Eleven” prequel.
“Rocky Horror” is the next movie to get the Sphere treatment. Bring a lot of popcorn.
Streaming Corner
- Diversity in streaming movies eroded in 2025, despite the success of movies like “KPop Demon Hunters.” The share of POC leads in streaming films rose from 33% in 2022 to 51% in 2024, but in 2025, nearly all of those gains were wiped away as the share of lead roles given to POC actors sank to 36%.
- Sony will distribute Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia” movie, a Netflix original film, internationally when it gets the streamer’s widest theatrical release ever next year.
What I’m Watching
Taking my four-year-old son to see “Toy Story 5” in theaters — a sequel in a franchise I grew up loving as a kid in the early ’90s — was a surreal and lovely experience. I’d argue this may be the most emotionally resonant installment for parents, and my son was enraptured the whole time (he even let out an “aw” at a sad moment). Even wilder, as the credits rolled, the entire theater of parents and kids erupted in applause. I can’t remember the last time that happened at a family film in the theater. The movies! They’re back!
The post Reel to Real: How Pixar Made the ‘Toy Story’ Franchise a Multigenerational Hit appeared first on TheWrap.
