Toy Story 5 and Obsession lift summer box office near 2019 pace

“Toy Story 5” opened with the year’s biggest domestic weekend, while “Obsession,” a horror film made for less than $1 million, kept adding strong sales in its sixth week. The combination has helped push the summer box office close to pre-pandemic levels, according to Rentrak data cited by the Associated Press.

Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” took in an estimated $160 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates reported Sunday by the AP. The debut set a franchise high, topping the $120 million opening for “Toy Story 4” in 2019.

The movie also earned $152 million internationally, bringing its worldwide opening to $312 million, according to the estimates. Among animated films, the AP reported that only “Incredibles 2,” which opened with $182.7 million in 2018, has had a larger domestic launch.

A costly return for a durable franchise

The fifth “Toy Story” film arrives 31 years after the original became a landmark release for Pixar and Disney. Before the new installment, the franchise had generated more than $3 billion in ticket sales, along with billions more from merchandise, according to the AP.

The new film carries a reported production cost of $250 million before marketing. Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack return as the voices of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, and the story centers on Bonnie’s toys losing attention after she receives a new tablet.

Andrew Stanton, the Pixar filmmaker behind “Finding Nemo” and “WALL-E,” directed the sequel, according to the AP. The film also includes a new Taylor Swift song, “I Knew It, I Knew You.”

Audience reaction gives Disney reason to expect more sales in the weeks ahead. The AP reported that “Toy Story 5” received an “A” CinemaScore and strong reviews.

Horror keeps supplying surprises

“Obsession,” released by Focus Features, remained the top horror draw. The film added $14.2 million domestically in its sixth weekend, nearly matching its $17 million opening weekend in mid-May, according to Rentrak figures reported by the AP.

The movie, made by 26-year-old Curry Barker for less than $1 million, has reached $215.8 million in North America and $333.3 million worldwide, according to the AP. Its continued strength came as another horror title, Neon’s “Leviticus,” opened to $2.7 million from 1,076 theaters.

“Leviticus,” written and directed by Adrian Chiarella, follows two teen boys who meet at conversion therapy. The AP described its debut as a solid start for an indie film budgeted at $3.5 million, though it faced competition from “Obsession” and “Backrooms.”

Other new releases had a harder weekend. A24’s “The Death of Robin Hood,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Michael Sarnoski, earned $2.6 million from 1,762 screens and received a “C+” CinemaScore, according to the AP.

Summer sales strengthen

Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” fell to second place with $17 million in its second weekend, down 61% from its debut, according to the AP. The $115 million sci-fi thriller has earned $160.4 million worldwide over two weeks.

Rentrak said summer ticket sales are up 15% from summer 2025 and are 1.9% below the same point in summer 2019, without adjusting for inflation. Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends, told the AP that Hollywood appears headed for its best summer since before the pandemic.

Dergarabedian said the season’s strength is coming from a mix of franchise releases, original films and lower-budget breakouts. He pointed to “Backrooms,” “Obsession” and “Disclosure Day” alongside established brands as part of the current box-office formula.

• “Toy Story 5”: $160 million domestic weekend
• “Disclosure Day”: $17 million
• “Obsession”: $14.2 million
• “Backrooms”: $7.3 million
• “Scary Movie”: $6.7 million

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.