Walt Disney Co.’s (DIS) new animated film “Toy Story 5” earned $312 million U.S. at the global box office during its debut weekend.
The fifth installment in the beloved film series posted its biggest opening weekend tally in the franchise’s history.
In North America, the movie earned $160 million U.S., while its overseas haul came in at $152 million U.S. That puts its estimated global haul for the three-day weekend at $312 million U.S.
“Toy Story 4” was the previous record holder for the franchise, opening to a domestic haul of $120.9 million U.S. back in 2019.
The film series, which features characters Woody and Buzz Lightyear, has collected more than $3 billion U.S. at the global box office since the first film debuted in 1995.
Toy Story 5 posted the second-highest opening for an animated feature, just behind the movie “Incredibles 2,” which earned $182.7 million U.S. in America and Canada in 2018.
Analysts say Toy Story 5 continues a trend of strong theatrical earnings for family-friendly movies, as nearly 70% of ticket buyers this past weekend were part of a family.
Analysts also praised Disney’s marketing and release of the latest Toy Story film, coming as it did over the Father’s Day weekend.
For Disney, Toy Story 5 arrives after the entertainment giant struggled at the box office since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in 2020.
DIS stock has declined 42% in the past five years to trade at $103.89 U.S. per share.
