6/19-6/21: TOY STORY 5 Has the Biggest Opening of 2026

Jun 21, 2026

As expected, TOY STORY 5 crushed the weekend box office with a robust $160.0M debut for Disney and Pixar. This surpasses the $131.7M start for THE SUPER MARIO GALAXY MOVIE over Easter weekend from April 3-5, and propelled the total for all films this weekend to $230.0M, the biggest 3-day box office so far in 2026.

This success is yet another indication that 2026 is on track to become the best year at the box office since 2019. Remarkably, there are two upcoming summer releases on the schedule that could open even stronger than TOY STORY 5. The first of these will be Universal’s THE ODYSSEY, which sets sail next month on July 17^th. Christopher Nolan’s epic has sparked extraordinary pre-release interest, with demand for advance sales of IMAX tickets outpacing OPPENHEIMER’s in 2023. At AMC’s Lincoln Square in New York City, pairs of IMAX 70mm tickets for THE ODYSSEY have been selling online for up to $1,500. Two weeks later, on July 31^st, Sony launches SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY. Tickets went on sale 45 days before its opening and sellouts are already being reported. The previous SPIDER-MAN installment opened to $260.1 M over December 17-19, 2021, when the theatres were still recovering from COVID-19. The new SPIDER-MAN could be even stronger, with a healthier overall market for moviegoing and a prime summer release date.

While the immediate future is undeniably bright, the last four weeks illustrate the volatile nature of the box office. The last 28 days produced less revenue than the matching period in 2025, because of a 32% year-over-year shortfall for Memorial Day week and a 24% decline last week. The net of it all is a 3% drop in 2026 box office over the last four weeks compared to those same weeks in 2025. However, next weekend’s edition of “The Last Four Weeks” should show a much better performance for the current year, based on including the powerful sales for TOY STORY 5 this weekend and the aging out of relatively disappointing Memorial Day results from the calculation.

THE LAST FOUR WEEKS – 2026 vs. 2025

#1 – TOY STORY 5

TOY STORY 5, the latest entry from Pixar, exploded into first place with $160.0M in its opening weekend. The new film has also been a worldwide juggernaut, earning $312M globally. TOY STORY 5 marks Pixar’s return to the classic franchise that launched the modern era of computer animation 31 years ago. TOY STORY is one of the most successful movie franchises in history, with the four previous films earning an amazing $1.294B domestically and $3.027B worldwide. In a recent report, Disney claims that the broader TOY STORY franchise has generated more than $16B in total revenue across theatrical, consumer products, home entertainment and related businesses.

TOY STORY Box Office History

TOY STORY 5 was directed by Andrew Stanton, one of the team of writers that created the original TOY STORY in 1995. The new film asks a contemporary question: can traditional toys compete with the technology that increasingly dominates children’s lives? Stanton has said the story evolved from exploring Jessie’s unresolved past and the changing relationship between children and play. The film reunites Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the gang as they confront a tablet-like device named Lilypad that threatens to become Bonnie’s favorite companion.

Jessie is the emotional focus of the story, as the traditional toy characters try to show that imagination, friendship and physical play still matter in a world increasingly shaped by screens. Stanton describes his film as a story about childhood imagination rather than a rejection of technology itself.

The returning voice cast includes Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear and Joan Cusack as Jessie. Hanks, of course, has had a remarkable 45+ year Hollywood career with defining roles in FORREST GUMP from 1994, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN from 1998 and CAST AWAY from 2000. Allen is best known for his starring roles in THE SANTA CLAUSE from 1994 and GALAXY QUEST from 1999. Cusack established her early fame in WORKING GIRL from 1988, IN & OUT from 1997 and SCHOOL OF ROCK from 2003. Some of the notable new cast members in TOY STORY 5 include Greta Lee, Conan O’Brien and Craig Robinson.

As if the franchise history and this stellar cast were not enough to stimulate ticket sales, Disney and Pixar were able to secure the help of one of the franchise’s biggest fans, Taylor Swift. Swift’s involvement in TOY STORY 5 appears to have originated from her emotional connection to the character of Jessie and the film itself. According to multiple reports, director Andrew Stanton and the Pixar team provided Swift with an early screening of the movie. After seeing Jessie’s storyline, Swift reportedly contacted the filmmakers almost immediately and expressed interest in writing an original song for the film. Stanton later said that Swift’s connection to Jessie was immediate and that she understood the emotional themes the filmmakers were trying to convey.

Swift’s new original song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” co-written and produced by Jack Antonoff, has been a significant asset used to promote the film. The song has generated substantial media coverage, social-media discussion, and fan engagement. Swift performed it at the film’s Hollywood premiere and then surprised attendees by performing “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” with Randy Newman, creating one of the most talked-about moments in the film’s marketing campaign. Even if the song itself does not directly sell millions of tickets, it increased awareness and conversation around the film in the crucial weeks before release.

Critics have always liked the franchise, giving the previous films scores of 100% for TOY STORY, 100% for TOY STORY 2, 98% for TOY STORY 3 and 97% for TOY STORY 4. TOY STORY 5 has come in with a 93% critics’ rating, not quite on par with the earlier films but pretty darned good nonetheless. Here are a few of the critics’ comments. Variety said, “It’s a sublime summing up, a movie that reflects the whole series in its magic mirror, and (just maybe) a perfect ending.” Screen International felt, “With Toy Story 5, Pixar reaffirms what has always made this franchise so beloved, resulting in another delightful adventure that mines fresh emotional terrain while producing plenty of hearty laughs.” USA Today weighs in with, “Somehow, more than 30 years later, Buzz and Woody haven’t worn out their welcome. It also doesn’t hurt that Jessie lassos our feelings like never before.” Finally, the Seattle Times summed it up by saying, “What makes the movie sing, as with its predecessors, is its sweetness. Five movies in, it’s still poignant to think about toys having a relationship with their children, loving them and trying to keep them safe in an ever-changing world.”

This movie has an estimated $200M production budget, which is similar to the amount spent on TOY STORY 3 and 4. That means in order to reach theatrical profitability, it needs to earn $500M worldwide. Large though that sum is, it should not be a problem to get there after its opening three days have achieved a global gross of $312.0M. Once again, the franchise has maintained its quality and still resonates with moviegoers after three decades. For a comparison film, as we often do for a franchise film, we are comparing it to the most recent outing, TOY STORY 4.

TOY STORY 5 vs. TOY STORY 4

#2 – DISCLOSURE DAY

DISCLOSURE DAY, the Spielberg-directed sci-fi film from Universal, fell to second in its sophomore weekend by taking in $17.0M, a drop of 62%. This brings its 10-day totals to $78.3M domestically and $160.4M worldwide. When it opened, the industry viewed DISCLOSURE DAY as a meaningful victory for original filmmaking, a strong result for Universal, and further proof that Spielberg remains one of the few filmmakers capable of turning an original concept into a major theatrical event. The focus has now shifted from opening weekend strength to longevity—whether the film can show the legs that characterized many of Spielberg’s classic hits.

The 62% drop is the largest second weekend decline of any Spielberg blockbuster. After Spielberg fans showed up to see his new movie on its opening weekend, a positive word-of-mouth was expected to support sustained interest. Alas, $17M in its second weekend was not the hold that anyone had hoped to see

Other Spielberg-directed movies have suffered significant second weekend drops, including INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008, -55%), THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997, -52%) and WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005, -52%). However, each of these films wound up with solid domestic grosses of $317.1M, $229.1M and $234.3M, respectively.

While it is too soon to write off DISCLOSURE DAY as a disappointment at the box office, its challenge is formidable having to compete with this weekend’s TOY STORY 5 opening followed next weekend by SUPER GIRL and then MINIONS & MONSTERS in two weeks. While these movies appeal to different demographics, the conversation about what’s hot at the movies seems to have moved on.

On a more positive note, DISCLOSURE DAY’s solid $44M domestic debut included an audience skewing older than most summer blockbusters. 41% of DISCLOSURE DAY’s viewers were at least 45 years old, a demographic that is known not to show up entirely on a movie’s opening weekend. 45% of TOP GUN: MAVERICK’s first weekend was at 45 years old or older and that film held on extremely well over time, going on to gross $718.7M domestically. If the 45+ demo continues to support DISCLOSURE DAY in future weeks, Spielberg’s movie may still pull out a win.

DISCLOSURE DAY vs. CONTACT after 10 Days

#3 – OBSESSION

Focus Features’ 2026 horror story OBSESSION added another $14.2M to its spectacular domestic total and finished in third place for the weekend. This brings its 38-day totals to $215.8M domestically and $333.3M worldwide. Although we have talked about this movie’s amazing accomplishments for weeks, we have come up with another unique fact to highlight. While the film has earned over $200M domestically, it not been the #1 movie in any week it has played.

OBSESSION’S WEEKLY BOX OFFICE PERFORMANCE

After a third-place finish this weekend and with a powerful slate of new movies in the weeks ahead, OBSESSION will wind up never having been the top-grossing movie of the week. Still, its five consecutive second-place finishes and tremendous staying power have turned it into one of the top-grossing movies of the year. The only three pictures that have grossed as much as $240M domestically without ever winning the top spot are OPPENHEIMER’s $330.1M in 2023, SING’s $270.4M in 2016, and MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING’s $241.4M in 2002. The fact that OBSESSION may soon become the fourth is yet another interesting story about the most surprising movie success story of 2026.

OBSESSION vs. TALK TO ME after 38 Days

#4 – BACKROOMS

A24’s horror film BACKROOMS held onto fourth place, with an additional $7.3M in box office, down 37% from last weekend. This brings its 24-day totals to $175.2M domestically and $301.1M worldwide. On the one hand, BACKROOMS has been somewhat overshadowed by OBSESSION, which has played for two more weeks and outgrossed it with $215.8M domestically. On the other hand, BACKROOMS and OBSESSION together are the surprise hits of the year, created by young directors who developed their filmmaking style and reputation on YouTube.

BACKROOMS domestic gross now stands at $175,2M, the sixth highest in 2026 and the best for any A24 film in history. Having a modest production cost of $10M, it now carries a stunning worldwide gross to production cost ratio of 30 to 1. It’s massive and unexpected $81.4M opening was almost 5 times larger than OBSESSION’s $17.2M. The only blemish on its theatrical performance is the steep drops it suffered after its opening, 68% in its second weekend, 57% in its third and a somewhat stabilized 37% in this its fourth weekend. As with SCARY MOVIE, most of its box office thunder came in the first week.

The comparison below shows how OBSESSION will outgross BACKROOMS by holding up much better over time. We don’t want BACKROOMS to get lost in the OBSESSION phenomenon. The two films from YouTube alums have grossed a combined $391M domestically and $634.4M worldwide!

BACKROOMS vs. OBSESSION after 24 Days

#5 – SCARY MOVIE

Paramount’s horror comedy SCARY MOVIE fell from third place to fifth place this weekend with $6.7M, a decline of 53%. This brings its 17-day totals to $97.6M domestically and $202.0M globally. The rapid decline of this film after a solid debut is typical of this franchise’s movies. SCARY MOVIE enjoyed a robust opening of $54.3M domestically and over $75M worldwide, which is the best ever for this franchise’s movies. With the Wayans Brothers spending only $30M to make the film, it crossed into profitability after its first three days in theatres. After 17 days, its worldwide gross-to-production-cost ratio is 6.7 to 1, an unqualified financial success.

There are very few sure things in filmmaking, but an entertaining movie made on a tightly-controlled budget and widely distributed by its studio is as close as it comes. DISCLOSURE DAY finds itself in somewhat of a precarious position in terms of profitability, not because it is not well-made and entertaining, but rather because it cost $115M to produce. A studio’s most difficult task is to exert the fiscal constraints on film production to allow a movie to be profitable. Because SCARY MOVIE has followed the winning formula, it will be among the most profitable films of the year.

SCARY MOVIE vs. SCARY MOVIE 5 after 17 Days