Pixar’s newest release “Lightyear,” a spin-off of their supremely popular “Toy Story” universe, had a disappointing opening weekend at the box office, earning only $51 million in its first North American weekend and only $85.6 million worldwide.
The Buzz Lightyear “biopic” was projected to make at least $70 million this weekend. In a rarity for Pixar, the movie debuted at No. 2 at the box office, behind “Jurassic World: Dominion,” which surpassed $600 million at the box office on its second weekend.
The movie received 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a respectable score although far below the rest of the films in this beloved franchise.
“Lightyear” cost Pixar $200 million to make, so there are high hopes for what the next few weeks will bring for the movie’s box office.
It’s rare that Pixar films are desperately trying to recoup costs. The studio is synonymous with successful and popular children’s movies. There are several theories for why “Lightyear” underperformed.
One reason may be the confusion among parents and children that the movie’s marketing caused. Because this film is not technically about Buzz Lightyear the toy, but rather the character on which the toy was based — a movie within a movie, essentially — families may have not known what the movie was really about, which can lead to less of a drive to see it opening weekend. Families may have also been confused on where to see the movie, after a few years of expecting new Disney Studios releases to come out on Disney+ opening weekend.
Audiences may also be feeling fatigue around the “Toy Story” universe with this being the fifth picture in the franchise. On the other hand, with Buzz being the only original character in this movie, those who loved the franchise may be missing the rest of the cast.
The film’s international box office was definitely hurt after being banned in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for featuring a same-sex kiss. The kiss may also have had an impact on the domestic box office, with conservative parents fearing “LGBTQ+ indoctrination,” which Disney has been facing backlash for the past few years.
The fate of “Lightyear” has not been dealt yet, and only time will tell if the movie can still be a huge success.
