NEW YORK – Moviegoers are still showing plenty of love for “Toy Story.”
The fifth chapter in Pixar’s beloved franchise opened to an estimated $160 million at the domestic box office, studio figures showed Sunday, giving the series its strongest debut yet and marking the biggest opening weekend of the year.
Arriving 31 years after the original “Toy Story” premiered in theaters, “Toy Story 5” comfortably topped the franchise’s previous opening-weekend record of $120 million, set by “Toy Story 4” in 2019. The film also performed strongly overseas, earning $152 million internationally for a global launch of $312 million.
The “Toy Story” series remains one of The Walt Disney Co.’s most valuable properties. Before the latest installment arrived, the films had already generated more than $3 billion at the worldwide box office, in addition to billions more from merchandise sales.
While many fans believed the story had reached a natural ending with 2010’s “Toy Story 3,” Disney and Pixar’s decision to continue the franchise nearly a decade later proved highly profitable, even if it sparked debate. “Toy Story 4” went on to surpass $1 billion globally, and “Toy Story 5” appears well positioned to follow the same path.
Among animated releases, only 2018’s “Incredibles 2” has opened higher, with $182.7 million in its first weekend.
These toys come at a price
Continuing the “Toy Story” saga has become an increasingly costly undertaking. The fifth film carried a reported production budget of $250 million, before marketing expenses. It also brings back a familiar voice cast, led by Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear and Joan Cusack as Jessie.
In the sequel, the toys are pushed aside when Bonnie gets a new tablet. It’s directed by Andrew Stanton, the Pixar veteran who helmed “Finding Nemo” (2003) and “WALL-E” (2008). “Toy Story 5” also features a new song by Taylor Swift, “I Knew It, I Knew You.”
Reviews have been very good and audiences gave “Toy Story 5” an “A” CinemaScore, suggesting it should remain a force in theaters for weeks.
After its chart-topping debut, Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” slipped to second place with $17 million in its second weekend. That’s not the hold that Universal Pictures was hoping for. Dropping 61% from its first weekend suggests “Disclosure Day” might not find the legs Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller needs to break out this summer.
Still, the $115 million budgeted movie, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colman Domingo, has grossed $160.4 million globally in two weeks. “Disclosure Day” stands a good chance of remaining the top adult-oriented option in theaters in the coming weeks.
“Toy Story 5” faced little competition from newcomers.
‘Robin Hood’ misses the bullseye
A24’s “The Death of Robin Hood,” a violent revisionist approach to the old legend, flopped with $2.6 million on 1,762 screens. The film, starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Michael Sarnoski, was modestly budgeted at $20 million. But after finding mixed reviews, audiences didn’t go for the movie, either. It earned a “C+” CinemaScore.
Neon’s “Leviticus” came out just ahead of “The Death of Robin Hood,” with $2.7 million from 1,076 theaters. Written and directed by Adrian Chiarella, the buzzy low-budget horror film is about two teen boys who meet at conversion therapy. It’s a fine start for an indie with a small budget of $3.5 million and good word-of-mouth. But “Leviticus” also faced unusually strong competition in the still-potent horror hits “Obsession” and “Backrooms.”
The top horror choice remained “Obsession,” the microbudget phenomenon by 26-year-old Curry Barker. In its sixth weekend, it nearly equaled its $17 million opening weekend from mid-May. The Focus Features release, which cost less than $1 million to make, added $14.2 million to bring its domestic total to $215.8 million and its global haul to $333.3 million.
With “Toy Story 5” and “Obsession” driving sales, the summer box office is up 15% from the 2025 summer, according to Rentrak. More impressively, summer ticket sales are nearly equal to the 2019 summer at the same point, not accounting for inflation. The summer to date is just 1.9% down from that year.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, expects that Hollywood is heading for its best summer since before the pandemic. And the success is coming from both expected and unexpected places.
“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. “You throw in a mix of very eclectic films and not just the usual suspects — the big franchise films, the known brands — but also films like ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ and original films like ‘Disclosure Day.’”
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:
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.
