Pixar and Disney’s Lightyear buzzed to $5.2 million in box office previews before officially opening Friday in more than 4,200 theaters across North America.
Chris Evans voices the iconic Space Ranger in the Toy Story origin spinoff, which marks Pixar’s return to the big screen after seeing several of its animated family films head straight for Disney+ due to COVID-19.
Tracking suggests that Lightyear could secure an opening weekend gross of $70 million to $85 million at the domestic box office (the pic will serve as a key test for the strength of the family marketplace in the pandemic era). Disney and Pixar are counting on Father’s Day to lure dads and their kids to the cinema. Lightyear began rolling out Wednesday in some Imax and premium large format screens before commencing preview screenings in select cinemas on Thursday afternoon.
Directed by Angus MacLane, the film’s voice cast also includes Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, James Brolin, Uzo Aduba, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Efren Ramirez and Keira Hairston.
The sci-fi action adventure tells the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, who figured prominently in the Toy Story franchise.
Overseas, Lightyear debuts day-and-date in most major markets, with the exception of France, Japan, China and parts of Southeast Asia.
Also, Lightyear is the latest film from Disney to be banned in various Middle East countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, because of a same-gender kiss. The scene, involving the female character Hawthorne (voiced by Aduba) and her partner, was originally cut from the film but was reinstated following the uproar surrounding a statement from Pixar employees claiming that Disney had been censoring “overtly gay affection” and Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s handling of the company’s response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Lightyear currently has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 80 percent, which is on the lower end for a Pixar offering. It remains to be seen whether this will ding the movie; last weekend, Jurassic World Dominion opened to $145 million despite a franchise-worst 30 percent score.