Can World Cup fever in the U.S. and the summer movie season co-exist? When “Toy Story 5” arrives in theaters, it certainly can. The Pixar sequel took in $160 million over the weekend, the biggest domestic opening of the year. Worldwide, the Walt Disney Studios release pulled in a massive $312 million. That’s the second best animated opening across the globe since “Inside Out 2” took in $372.5 million two years ago.
“Toy Story 5” started with a huge $71 million Friday, including $17.5 million in Thursday previews. That came close to surpassing the opening day record for an animated film, which is still held by “Incredibles 2” and its $71.2 million tally back in 2018. It should hold on to the biggest opening weekend of the year until a little over a month from now when “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” hits theaters.
At a reported $250 million production budget, “Toy Story 5” is one of the most expensive animated films ever made. Considering this debut and the fact that both “Toy Story 3” and “Toy Story 4” earned over $1 billion each, there should be champagne popping in Burbank and Everyville on Monday. And an A CinemaScore, positive reviews, and Taylor Swift’s original song debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 doesn’t hurt either. Competition is on the way, however, as Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters” arrives on July 1.
Barely withering the “Toy Story 5” storm was last week’s No. 1, “Disclosure Day.” The Steven Spielberg Sci-Fi thriller dropped a not-so-great 61% for another $17 million, bringing the domestic tally to $78 million. Worldwide, “Disclosure Day” has taken in $160 million. At a $115 million production cost, it’s going to be a fight to break even in theaters.
Third place went to Focus Features’ horror sensation “Obsession.” The Curry Barker thriller took in another $14.2 million to hit $215.8 million domestic and a stunning $333 million worldwide. It may eventually end up closer to $400 million than anyone could have ever imagined.
There were three other new releases with similar under 2,000 theater screen counts.
Neon’s “Leviticus” dropped in 1,076 theaters for $2.7 million, or a more-than-solid $2,533 per theater. The gay-themed horror film has earned raves since it debuted at Sundance. That continued as more critics saw it this weekend, with a stellar 83 on Metacritic and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. The indie distributor reportedly acquired the film worldwide, excluding its native Australia, for just $5 million. With a minimal marketing spend, it looks like a nice double down the line for Neon.
Another LGBTQ+ themed film, “Girls Like Girls,” arrived in just 504 theaters for a comparably more impressive $1.6 million or $3,175 per. Hayley Kiyoko’s directorial debut is based on her own 2015 song and earned positive reviews from critics, with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 72 on Metacritic. It’s unclear what the production cost and acquisition costs were for Focus with this one.
More disappointing is Michael Sarnoski’s “The Death of Robin Hood,” which took in $2.6 million in 1,762 theaters for a not-so-great $1,488 per. Despite Hugh Jackman’s committed performance, the dark swing on the Robin Hood urban legend hasn’t connected with moviegoers or critics so far. It earned a troubling C+ CinemaScore, a 60 on Metacritic, and a 69% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The film cost $20 million to make, but A24 reportedly only paid $4 million for U.S. rights. Considering the massive success of “Backrooms” and “The Drama,” the mini-major isn’t worried about missing out on this one.
Speaking of “Backrooms,” Kane Parson’s thriller hit $175 million in the U.S. and a stunning $301 million worldwide.
In very limited release, John Early’s “Maddie’s Secret” pulled in $58,000 on just one screen at IFC Center in New York. That’s the landmark indie venue’s best individual weekend in two years.
New movies opening in wide release on Friday include “Supergirl” and “Jackass: Best and Last.”
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