Launching 31 years after the original Toy Story first landed in theaters, Toy Story 5 shows there’s still audience appetite for the beloved toys.
The fifth instalment in the Pixar series debuted with $160 million in US ticket sales, according to studio estimates on Sunday, while the international haul was equally impressive, with $152 million in opening-weekend sales.
That all makes for a worldwide tally of $312 million, meaning Toy Story 5 has scored the biggest opening weekend of the year.
More than that, the film has set a new franchise record, as it has surpassed the previous series-best debut ($120 million for Toy Story 4 in 2019) and scored the second-largest animated opening weekend in history, behind only 2018’s Incredibles 2 with $182.7 million.
Put simply, don’t be surprised if Toy Story 5 ends 2026 with well above $1bn and as one of the highest grossing films of the year.
For reference, the first four Toy Story movies have grossed more than $3bn worldwide, receiving 11 Oscar nominations and winning three - two for Best Animated Feature and one for Best Original Song.
In Euronews Culture’s review of Toy Story 5, we wrote: “This fifth instalment is certainly better than its predecessor and does contain some of the series’ signature charms. It just feels like a slightly deflated exercise in recycling, as there are only so many times you can say goodbye to our favourite toys before it starts feeling like a studio-mandated emotional ambush.”
We added: “It’s undeniable that even a weak Toy Story film is still a good one. (...) But as one forlorn toy puts it, “the age of toys is over”, and judging by Toy Story 5, the enchantment provoked by Pixar’s previous adventures doesn’t go to infinity and beyond anymore.”
Toy Story 5 hit cinemas worldwide on 19 June.
