to infinity and beyond? off course not…
“Lightyear,” a spinoff story set in Pixar’s “Toy Story” universe, fell short of that immense milestone in its box office debut, raking in $51 million from 4,255 North American theaters. Family audiences, the film's key demographic, haven't returned to theaters in full force since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, those ticket sales are disappointing for the brand best known as Pixar, the home of "The Incredibles," "Finding Nemo" and "Up." This is especially problematic given that the "lightyear" costs $200 million to produce and millions of dollars more to market.
Over the weekend, the Disney film was expected to generate at least $70 million. But its ambitions were thwarted by increased competition from Universal's legendary "Jurassic World Dominion" and Paramount's high-flying "Top Gun: Maverick," as well as a bit of intrigue to see a slightly cryptic origin story about Buzz Lightyear. which had only one weak connection to the four films in the popular kid-friendly franchise. Along its ups and downs, “Lightyear” dropped to second place, becoming one of the rare Pixar films not to take the top spot at the domestic box office.
Internationally, Lightyear earned $34.6 million from 43 markets, bringing its global total to $85.6 million. The film was banned in smaller overseas markets, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, because it depicts homosexual kissing.
Notably, "Lightyear" is the first Pixar film to hit the big screen in more than two years — since "Onward" in March 2020. During the pandemic, the animation studio's three titles — "Soul," "Luca" and "Turning Red" — left theaters to land directly on Disney+, leaving some box office analysts to question whether Consumers have been trained to watch Pixar movies at home. Other industry experts question whether Disney is relying too much on brand recognition and not enough on execution. Not that people disliked the film, which landed an "A-" 77% on CinemaScore and Rotten Tomatoes. But Disney certainly hoped that more ticket shoppers would feel compelled to watch "Lightyear" in theaters over the weekend.
"It's a soft opening for a spinoff of one of the most successful animation series ever," says David A. Gross, who runs movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. He notes: "'Toy Story' defied gravity during its 27-year run at the box office, with each episode topping the last, the last two grossing over a billion dollars worldwide. But all Like the byproducts, the story of 'Lightear' has narrowed now."
Even with a whopping 60% drop, 'Jurassic World Dominion' managed to regain the box office crown in a surprising turnaround. Universal's prehistoric sequel earned $58.6 million from 4,697 theaters in its second weekend of release, bringing its domestic total to $259 million.
In third place, "Top Gun: Maverick" continues to soar with a whopping $44 million from 4,035 locations in North America, marking a 15% drop from last weekend. Those returns at the box office are especially significant as the film has been running in theaters for a month. Only one other film that debuted in wide release earned more in its fourth box office weekend — "Avatar," with $50 million. To date, the sequel to 1986's "Top Gun" has grossed $466 million in the US and Canada and $885 million globally, making the film the biggest blockbuster of Tom Cruise's decades-long career.
Disney's "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" took the number 4 slot with $4.2 million from 2,455 locations. After seven weekends on the big screen, the Marvel comic book sequel has grossed an impressive $405.1 million in North America. Although the "Strange" sequel is no longer the highest-grossing film of the year in the US, the title now belongs to Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.
Another Disney film, "The Bob's Burger Movie," made the top five. The film, a big-screen continuation of the popular TV series, grossed $1.1 million from 1,350 locations. After four weekends of release, "The Bob's Burger Movie" has grossed $29 million at the domestic box office.
Although "Lightyear" was the only new film to open nationwide, several films – including the Focus feature comedy "Brian & Charles" and IFC's "Official Competition" – were closed in limited release.
A Sundance favorite that resonated no further than Park City, “Bryan and Charles” made a major splash in its box office debut. Directed by Jim Archer and starring David Earl, the feel-good film brought in just $198,000 from 279 theaters—translating to $711 per location.
Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas starred in the "official contest", which earned $34,000 ($8,500 per theater) from four theaters across the country. Well-reviewed film, a