Toy Story 5 is on track for one of the biggest box office openings in years. The Disney/Pixar film brought in more than $71 million on Friday alone, including $17.5 million from Thursday night previews, putting it on course for a $160 million to $170 million opening weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters.
According to a report by Deadline, that would make it the largest opening of the past two years, surpassing the previous best of 2025, A Minecraft Movie, which opened to $162.7 million. The last film to top that was Deadpool and Wolverine in 2024 with $211.4 million.
The film is playing at 4,425 theaters and was directed by Andrew Stanton. Forecasters have noted some uncertainty in pinning down the final number. Toy Story 4 was projected to open to $160 million before landing at $120.9 million. Studio sources believe Saturday will come in at no more than 20 percent below Friday's total.
Social media numbers are adding significant fuel to the momentum. The film's reach across TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook, and YouTube measured 711.8 million, according to analytics firm RelishMix. That tops earlier Pixar benchmarks, including Minions: The Rise of Gru at 668.4 million and The Incredibles 2 at 687 million. YouTube views for the film reached 341 million, well above Kung Fu Panda 4's 172 million and Rise of Gru's 220 million.
A major factor in that reach is Taylor Swift. RelishMix reported that Swift's involvement, tied to her song for the film called "I Knew It, I Knew You," brings 538 million fans across her social channels, all of which have been actively promoting the movie. By contrast, Tim Allen has activated his account with a reach of 160,000, while Tom Hanks's social network of 34.9 million had not yet engaged with the film at the time of the report.
RelishMix described the audience conversation around the film as broadly positive, with a specific emotional hook landing hard with older viewers. The analytics firm noted that the tech-versus-toys angle resonated with parents and older members of Generation Z, framing the film as more than nostalgia. Social media users drew comparisons to Toy Story 3, calling it a generational handoff story. Comments included phrases like "This almost made me cry. I'm 32 years old and the feeling this gave me was amazing" and "I'll be 27 when Toy Story 5 comes out and now I have two small children to take to the cinema."
Even skeptical viewers appeared to come around. RelishMix noted that commentary around so-called iPad kids became one of the trailer's most widely discussed topics, with one user writing, "At first I thought ugh not another Toy Story but the plot is perfect, raise awareness on iPad babies."
The opening weekend numbers will be confirmed Sunday.
