LightyearPixar’s first major theatrical release since March 2020 exploded at $ 51 million on its debut weekend in North America, according to Sunday studio estimates.
Not only did it open lower than expected, but it was also unable to conquer Jurassic World: Dominion, which maintained its number one position at $ 58.7 million on the second weekend.
Disney and Pixar, as the movie’s origin story, Lightyear, which influenced the space ranger action figures in the movie Toy Story, is one of the biggest releases of family-friendly animated films that transcend pandemics. It is a mixed bag of. Including an international performance totaling $ 34.6 million, the Global Opening Weekend for “Light Year” totals $ 85.6 million.
However, expectations for a release based on this attention-grabbing, beloved and famous character were higher. Over the weekend, some analysts nailed the “Light Year” to its $ 70 million North American debut.
“There are always very high expectations for Pixar movies, especially those directly related to the Toy Story brand,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at box office revenue tracker Comscore. increase.
“Toy Story” launched Pixar in 1995, and its four films earned more than $ 3 billion. Both “Toy Story 3” and “Toy Story 4” have exceeded $ 1 billion.
Family spectators have proven to be a little more reluctant to return to the theater than the other segments. Many studios, including Disney and Pixar, have opted for streaming or hybrid releases of animated titles. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has sent Pixar titles “Soul,” “Luka,” and “My Occasionally Lesser” directly to Disney + for free to subscribers. Disney’s other big animation titles, “Raya and the Last Dragon” and “Encanto,” have received a hybrid release.
“There may have been some confusion as to whether it was only in the theater,” said Delgarabedian. “This is a movie that must be sold in real time as the family audience connects the dots.”
Critics were primarily fond of “Lightyear,” featuring Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear and featuring support voicecasts including Keke Palmer and Taika Waititi. Directed by Angus MacLane, he currently has a 77% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. The viewer gave it an A-Cinema Score.
With a reported production budget of $ 200 million that doesn’t take into account the millions of dollars spent on marketing and promotion, “Light Year” has come a long way to achieve profitability. However, it can burn slowly and steadily during the summer. And it’s the only big family that offers to play in theaters until “Minions: The Rise of Guru” opens on July 1st.
“Light Year” has opened in 4,255 stores in Japan and 43 markets overseas. Thirteen countries in the Islamic world and the Palestinian Territory have banned “Light Years” from showing in cinemas because they included a short kiss between lesbian couples.
Jurassic World: Dominion, on the other hand, currently makes more than $ 622.2 million in revenue worldwide, of which $ 259.2 million comes from theaters in the United States and Canada. The seventh movie released during the pandemic is over $ 600 million.
On the fourth weekend, “Top Gun: Maverick” fell slightly, bringing an additional $ 44 million to third place. Its national total is currently $ 466.2 million. Globally, the high-flying sequel has sold over $ 855 million. Lindsey Bar, MDT / AP
