Box Office: Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Underwhelms With $51 Million Debut as ‘Jurassic World’ Stays No. 1
variety.comRebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTo infinity and beyond? Not exactly…“Lightyear,” a spinoff story set in Pixar’s “Toy Story” universe, fell short of that boundless milestone in its box office debut, collecting a lackluster $51 million from 4,255 North American theaters.
Family audiences, the movie’s prime demographic, have been largely absent since COVID. But even so, those ticket sales are disappointing for a brand as recognizable as Pixar, the home of “The Incredibles,” Finding Nemo” and “Up.” It’s particularly problematic given that “Lightyear” cost $200 million to produce and tens of millions more to market.Heading into the weekend, the Disney film was expected to generate at least $70 million.
But its ambitions were thwarted by heightened competition from Universal’s behemoth “Jurassic World Dominion” and Paramount’s high-flying “Top Gun: Maverick,” as well as little intrigue to watch a slightly esoteric origin story about Buzz Lightyear, one that had only a tenuous connection to the four films in the popular kid-friendly franchise.
With its wobbly liftoff, “Lightyear” landed in second place, becoming one of the rare Pixar films to not take the top spot at the domestic box office.
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