Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” delivered the biggest box office debut of 2026 with a massive $160 million North American opening, setting a new franchise record and dominating cinemas worldwide.
WEBDESK – SHARJAH NEWS
Disney and Pixar’s highly anticipated animated sequel “Toy Story 5” stormed the global box office this weekend, earning a stunning $160 million across North America and securing the biggest domestic debut of 2026.
The film surpassed the previous yearly record held by “Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which opened with $131.7 million, while also setting a new opening weekend benchmark for the “Toy Story” franchise. The previous record belonged to 2019’s “Toy Story 4,” which debuted with $120 million.
“Toy Story 5” also became the second-biggest animated opening weekend in box office history, trailing only Pixar’s 2018 blockbuster “Incredibles 2,” which launched with $182.7 million domestically.
Internationally, the animated sequel collected an additional $152 million, pushing its worldwide opening total to an impressive $312 million.
Directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, the film reunites beloved characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie as they confront modern technology after Bonnie becomes obsessed with a new children’s smart device called Lilypad.
Hollywood stars Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack returned to voice the iconic characters, while global pop sensation Taylor Swift contributed a new original song titled “I Knew It, I Knew You” to the soundtrack.
The film received strong critical and audience reception, earning a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an “A” CinemaScore from moviegoers, positioning it for a lengthy and successful theatrical run.
Industry analysts believe “Toy Story 5” could eventually become the highest-grossing film in the franchise, potentially surpassing “Toy Story 4,” which earned $1.07 billion globally.
Elsewhere at the box office, Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller “Disclosure Day” fell sharply in its second weekend, earning $17 million after dropping 62 percent from its opening weekend. The film has now grossed $160 million worldwide against a reported $115 million budget.
Low-budget horror sensation “Obsession” continued its remarkable performance, collecting $14.2 million in its sixth weekend. The film has now generated $333 million globally and emerged as one of the year’s most profitable movies.
Another horror success story, “Backrooms,” earned $7.3 million during its fourth weekend and crossed $301 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing release in A24’s history.
Paramount’s “Scary Movie” reboot rounded out the top five with $6.7 million, lifting its global earnings beyond $200 million.
Meanwhile, big-budget franchise films “Masters of the Universe” and “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” continued to struggle commercially despite relatively modest weekend declines.
Box office analysts say the strong performance of “Toy Story 5” and several surprise hits have positioned summer 2026 to become one of the most successful post-pandemic movie seasons.
Industry tracker David A. Gross said family films and franchise sequels continue driving cinema attendance worldwide.
“Business is excellent,” Gross said, noting that the current summer season is performing significantly ahead of last year’s box office numbers.
