Pixar’s highly anticipated Toy Story 5 is dominating the box office right out of the gate, even as critical reception runs surprisingly cold. Directed by Andrew Stanton, the animated sequel debuted to an impressive $17.5 million during Thursday preview screenings. Yet in a widely circulated review, Forbes critic Laura Sirikul argued the film hits the board, but falls far from the bullseye. She noted the movie is “cute, and the message is meaningful and relevant to today,” while openly questioning if a fifth installment was “really necessary.”
The financial momentum completely ignores the critical hesitation. Those Thursday numbers secure the highest preview gross of 2026 so far. Industry analysts project a domestic opening weekend between $145 million and $150 million based on early preview figures that detail the franchise’s new tech-focused conflict against a smart tablet named Lilypad.
The nostalgic momentum is pushing Pixar into historic territory. The $17.5 million haul ranks as the second-highest animated preview night in history, trailing just behind Incredibles 2, which pulled in $18.5 million back in 2018. It also completely shattered the franchise record previously set by Toy Story 4. The release comfortably overtook the Michael Jackson biopic Michael, which previously held the top 2026 preview total at $12.6 million. If the momentum holds, the sequel is poised to unseat Illumination’s The Super Mario Galaxy Movie for the biggest domestic launch of the year.
Disney spared no expense getting the beloved toys back on screen, utilizing a reported $250 million production budget. A significant portion of the pre-release hype was built through pop culture synergy rather than traditional trailers alone. Taylor Swift wrote and performed the film’s original song, “I Knew It, I Knew You.” The track instantly broke streaming records following its June 5 release. That intense fan engagement is translating directly to ticket sales, pushing the global opening tracking well past the $275 million mark as international markets open.