Toy Story 5 sees franchise's biggest ever opening weekend

Toy Story 5 sees franchise's biggest ever opening weekend7 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleOsmond ChiaBusiness reporterPAJessie, Woody and Buzz Lightyear face competition from a digital tablet in Toy Story 5Disney's Toy Story 5 racked up the animated franchise's best ever opening weekend, with ticket sales of more than $300m (£227m) globally.Released on 19 June, the fifth installment of the Toy Story saga follows Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear as they face their toughest rival yet - a digital tablet.Its strong box office performance is a return to form for Disney and Pixar after a series of challenges in recent years.It is estimated to be this year's second-biggest opening weekend globally, after The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. That film is currently the highest grossing film of the year, taking in more than $1bn.Toy Story 5 grossed over $160m in North America and more than $150m internationally in its first weekend in cinemasWith an estimated production budget of $250m, it will need to make at least twice that amount to cover the additional costs of marketing and other expenses.Disney's Pixar films have historically recouped their budgets - often comfortably - with many titles bringing in three times as much as they cost to make and promote.A handful of its films - especially sequels like The Incredibles 2 and Inside Out 2 - have crossed the $1bn mark.But some of the storied studio's more recent titles, like the alien adventure Elio and Toy Story spin-off Lightyear, have bombed at the box office.The Mandalorian and Grogu, Disney's latest big-budget Star Wars spin-off, has yet to double its $165m cost.Overall box office revenues have declined since the Covid-19 pandemic, as studios struggled to draw people back to cinemas as the industry has seen a shift towards streaming services like Netflix and Disney+.Big-budget blockbusters in particular have suffered, with many films underperforming at the box office.Still, the...