After the release of Hoppers earlier this year, which still stands as one of the biggest hits of 2026, Disney and Pixar look to hit even bigger with the release of Toy Story 5 this month. This will be the first Toy Story movie in seven years, reuniting Tom Hanks’ Woody and Tim Allen’s Buzz while Joan Cusack’s Jessie becomes the story’s leading character. This sequel will pit the toys in an intense battle against the rise of technology, as their kid, Bonnie, is gifted a tablet named LilyPad that threatens to make them irrelevant forever. Considering how popular this franchise has become over the last 31 years, it comes as no surprise that anticipation is high for this movie’s debut.
The last Toy Story movie, Toy Story 4, broke franchise and company records by becoming the fourth Pixar movie to gross over $1 billion at the global box office, finishing its run at $1.074 billion worldwide. This was just slightly higher than Toy Story 3‘s $1.067 billion in 2010, proving that the toy gang’s days of appealing to viewers were far from over. Now, as the fifth chapter in their saga gets ready to hit the big screen, expectations for its own box office success are already through the roof.
According to Variety, Toy Story 5 is targeting an opening weekend debut in North American theaters that could result in a gross of anywhere from $145 million to $150 million. Initial ticket sales could even push beyond those numbers, as some predict the total could be closer to a range of $160 million to $175 million. If those estimates come to fruition, Toy Story 5 would easily have the best opening weekend of any movie in this franchise, surpassing Toy Story 4‘s $121 million opening and Toy Story 3‘s $110 million domestic debut. It would also pass The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($131.7 million) for the biggest domestic opening of 2026.
Pixar’s success has only grown over the last couple of decades, with all five of its $1 billion hits released since 2010, the last four since 2016. Considering two of those movies are from the Toy Story franchise, it is no surprise that Toy Story 5 is expected to continue that trend and become Pixar’s latest massive hit. This comes only a day after Toy Story 5 officially received its opening Rotten Tomatoes score; while its 93% critic rating may be the lowest of the five core Toy Story movies (2022’s Lightyear ranks lower at 74%), it becomes the latest Pixar sequel to be a massive critical hit.
Toy Story 5 will begin playing in theaters on Jun. 19, 2026.
