Toy Story 5 Sets Opening Records and Dominates Box Office

Pixar’s beloved ‘Toy Story’ franchise continues to captivate audiences, with its latest installment, ‘Toy Story 5’, achieving remarkable success at the box office. The newest film opened with a staggering $160 million in ticket sales domestically, according to studio estimates, setting both a new franchise record and marking the biggest opening weekend of the year.

This impressive debut, launching 31 years after the original ‘Toy Story’, easily outperformed the previous high of $120 million set by ‘Toy Story 4’ in 2019. Internationally, the film did similarly well, earning $152 million in its opening weekend, bringing the global total to $312 million.

The ‘Toy Story’ franchise is among the most lucrative for The Walt Disney Co., with prior films accumulating over $3 billion in box office revenue and substantial earnings from merchandise sales. Despite the series seeming to conclude with ‘Toy Story 3’ in 2010, the decision to continue the franchise has proved highly profitable. ‘Toy Story 4’ achieved over $1 billion in sales, and ‘Toy Story 5’ is expected to follow suit.

Managing Costs and Achieving Success

Among animated films, only ‘Incredibles 2’ in 2018 had a larger opening weekend, with $182.7 million. However, the costs of producing ‘Toy Story’ films have risen. ‘Toy Story 5’ had a production budget of $250 million, excluding marketing expenses. The film sees the return of voice actors Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, and Joan Cusack as Jessie.

In ‘Toy Story 5’, the storyline follows the toys as they face the challenge of being replaced when Bonnie receives a new tablet. Directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, known for ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘WALL-E’, the film also features a new song by Taylor Swift, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’. The film has garnered strong reviews and an ‘A’ CinemaScore from audiences, indicating its continued success in theaters.

Competition and Summer Box Office Trends

Even with its popularity, ‘Toy Story 5’ encountered minimal competition from new releases. Steven Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’ took second place with $17 million in its second weekend, a 61% decrease from its debut. Despite its $115 million budget, ‘Disclosure Day’ has accumulated $160.4 million globally.

A24’s ‘The Death of Robin Hood’ fell short, earning $2.6 million across 1,762 screens. Directed by Michael Sarnoski and starring Hugh Jackman, the film had a modest budget of $20 million but faced mixed reviews and audience indifference, earning a ‘C+’ CinemaScore.

Meanwhile, Neon’s low-budget horror film ‘Leviticus’ performed slightly better, with $2.7 million from 1,076 theaters. Directed by Adrian Chiarella, the film found a niche audience despite strong competition from horror titles ‘Obsession’ and ‘Backrooms’.

Notably, ‘Obsession’, directed by Curry Barker, has sustained its box office presence, adding $14.2 million in its sixth weekend. The microbudget film, made for less than $1 million, has achieved $215.8 million domestically and $333.3 million globally.

The summer box office has seen a 15% increase compared to 2025, nearly matching 2019 figures, notwithstanding inflation. Expert Paul Dergarabedian anticipates one of Hollywood’s best summers since the pandemic, with a diverse mix of films contributing to the success.

“To me, this is a hybrid summer and this could be the new blueprint for how you build the perfect summer box-office beast,” says Dergarabedian.

The weekend’s top movies by domestic box office sales include:

• 1. ‘Toy Story 5’, $160 million.
• 2. ‘Disclosure Day’, $17 million.
• 3. ‘Obsession’, $14.2 million.
• 4. ‘Backrooms’, $7.3 million.
• 5. ‘Scary Movie’, $6.7 million.
• 6. ‘Masters of the Universe’, $5.6 million.
• 7. ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’, $3.9 million.
• 8. ‘Leviticus’, $2.7 million.
• 9. ‘The Death of Robin Hood’, $2.6 million.
• 10. ‘Michael’, $2.2 million.