Lightyear, the latest spin-off from Pixar’s Toy Story universe, has brought in just $51 million at the box office after launching at 4,255 North American theaters. The movie was expected to generate at least $70 million for Disney.
The highly anticipated film boasted a production budget of $200 million. It follows the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, the astronaut who inspired the action figure from the Toy Story films.
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“This is a soft opening for a spinoff of one of the most successful animation series of all time,” David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, told Variety. “‘Toy Story’ defied gravity at the box office during its 27-year run, each episode topping the last, the last two clearing a billion dollars worldwide. But like all spinoffs, the ‘Lightyear’ story is narrower now.”
Lightyear stars Chris Evans in the lead role as Buzz Lightyear, replacing Tim Allen who plays the character in the rest of the franchise. Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. also appear in the film.
As for the rest of the films playing this weekend, Jurassic World Dominion remained at number one at the box office with $58.6 million in its second weekend, bringing its domestic total to $259 million. The figure represents a 60% decline from its debut. Top Gun: Maverick also continued to see success, raking up $44 million.
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