‘Toy Story 5’ sets franchise record with $160 million opening weekend

The film's opening is a return to form for Disney and Pixar after facing notable challenges in recent years.

The sequel sees Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their gang of toys fighting for survival against technology, particularly a tablet.

“Toy Story” still has a friend in moviegoers. The fifth installment in the Pixar series debuted with $160 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday,…

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Disney's "Toy Story 5" romped to the best opening weekend of the year, raking in $160 million in North America, industry estimates showed Sunday, a record for the much-loved Pixar franchise. The sequel, which debuted over Father's Day weekend, features Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and their gang of toys fighting for survival against competition from technology, particularly a tablet. "This is prime family moviegoing season and 'Toy Story' is delivering," said industry analyst David A. Gross. Gross called it "another sensational opening for a Pixar series sequel," noting that "Toy Story 5" had the best starting weekend for any film in the franchise, an estimated 37 percent higher than "Toy Story 4." That will likely make it the second-biggest animated movie opening of all time, behind Disney unit Pixar's "Incredibles 2," which made $182.7 million in June 2018, he said. "Family moviegoing has been leading the industry since it came roaring back from the pandemic in 2023," Gross added. "A lot of the genre's success is coming from sequels, live-action remakes of animated pictures, and hybrid combinations." "Toy Story 5" -- which returns with Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack voicing key characters -- opened on 4,425 screens across the United States and Canada over the weekend, Exhibitor Relations' estimates showed. Runner-up in the weekend box office take was the Stephen Spielberg-directed sci-fi thriller "Disclosure Day," which debuted the previous weekend. With an ensemble cast led by Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor, the action-packed Universal film follows an effort to reveal a decades-long cover-up of extraterrestrial visitations. It brought in an estimated $17 million, lifting its total to $78.2 million, according to estimates. In third place was Focus Features' indie horror hit "Obsession," which took in another $14 million in its sixth week out for a total domestic haul of $215.8 million, data showed. A24's horror film "Backrooms" remained in fourth place with $7.3 million, taking its domestic total to $175 million in its fourth week out. Coming in fifth was Paramount's "Scary Movie," a reboot of the parody franchise, earning $6.7 million in its third week out. Rounding out the top 10 were: "Masters of the Universe" ($5.6 million) "Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu" ($3.9 million) "Leviticus" (debuted at $2.7 million) "The Death of Robin Hood" (debuted $2.6 million) "Michael" ($2.2 million)

Toy Story still has a friend in moviegoers