"Solo: A Star Wars Story." "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw." These days, as Hollywood milks its intellectual property for all its worth, many movie franchises have produced that one spinoff that pushed the limits of a connected film universe.
Now "Lightyear" has become that film for Pixar Animation Studios' "Toy Story" series, which for 27 years has been a boon to the Walt Disney Co.-owned computer animation powerhouse.
"Lightyear," with Chris Evans voicing the famous space ranger, grossed $51 million in North American ticket sales Friday through Sunday, a disappointing result considering analysts had predicted an opening weekend of about $70 million.
