Outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar is the most consistently dominant studio because every single movie they’ve made for over 25 years has made at least $350 million in the worldwide box-office; and doesn’t include video-on-demand sales.
Last year’s “Incredibles 2” has made the most money for the studio with $1.242 billion in theaters. In fact, most of their latest films are some of their biggest moneymakers outside of “Coco,” indicating there was probably a pretty good chance “Toy Story 4” might be their biggest movie ever.
But “Toy Story 4” shocked everyone with these surprising numbers.
It’s arguably the most consistently great movie franchises in Hollywood history. No, “Toy Story” hasn’t made the most money of any franchise; but all four movies are comparable to each other in their greatness.
Spanning nearly twenty-five years, depending on the age of the person, one movie of the franchise likely speaks to them more than the others. If you were born in the 1980s then you were probably particular to the first or second, but if you were born in the 1990s then you might have a special affection for 2010’s third installment.
It’s been nearly a decade since the third entry in the franchise and “Toy Story 4” opened to glowing reviews just like the other three. When it comes to storytelling and animation, nobody beats Pixar, so the easiest predictor in the world is that it will make truckloads of money.
But while it did make a lot of money over its first weekend and took the number one spot worldwide, “Toy Story 4” shockingly underperformed, which makes it easier to project how it will do for the duration of its placement in theaters and it’s not good.
The movie grossed a meager $118 million domestically and another $120 million internationally bringing the total to $238 million. Most had the domestic projections to be closer to $175 million and the foreign numbers to be closer to $250-$300 million.
A string of disappointing sequels opened before “Toy Story 4,” including “Dark Phoenix,” ”Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “Men in Black: International.” But “Toy Story 4” had something those films didn’t: great reviews. It rates 98 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences gave it an A CinemaScore.
Plus, “Toy Story 4” features an insane ensemble cast that reaches almost every demographic.
First of all, Tom Hanks is one of the most beloved actors of all time and there’s a reason why he’s called “America’s Dad.” He’s trusted. There’s a reason why Hanks is about to play Mr. Rogers in the upcoming “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”
And don’t forget about Buzz Lightyear himself, Tim Allen, who as an actor might have the biggest conservative audience in the whole industry, given the fact he’s been a known Republican for a long time.
With those three it hits on nearly every demographic so these numbers are quite surprising.
Or, perhaps, audiences have sequel and reboot fatigue.