When Toy Story 4 earned more than $1 billion at the global box office seven years ago, it did not face the challenges that Toy Story 5 did when the latter opened in theaters over Father’s Day Weekend. In 2019, Disney+ did not yet exist to tempt audiences to wait for streaming, and inflation was not putting as much pressure on household budgets as it today.
And yet, Toy Story 5, with an estimated $160 million North American opening weekend gross, is off to its strongest start in franchise history and is the biggest movie opener of 2026. Pixar turned a familiar franchise into a story about modern parenting and the experiences of tween girls that connects with women in particular.
Parents See Their Own Lives In ‘Toy Story 5’
Toy Story 5 enjoys multigenerational appeal, and 70% of viewers have seen the movie as part of a family. The combined age 25-44 segment accounted for 42% of viewers.
Pixar described Toy Story 5 as “Toy meets Tech.” The movie follows Bonnie, the girl who became the toys’ owner after Andy gave them away at the end of Toy Story 3.
