‘Toy Story 5’ Lands a Glowing CinemaScore From Opening Night Crowds as Pixar Chases a Franchise Record

Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ saga has spent three decades turning a toy box into one of animation’s most dependable box office machines, and this week the studio’s fifth chapter finally hit multiplexes nationwide. ‘Toy Story 5’ is the fifth main installment in the franchise and the sequel to 2019’s ‘Toy Story 4,’ directed by Andrew Stanton and written by Stanton and Kenna Harris. The film arrives carrying the weight of a franchise many assumed had already taken its final bow.

Stanton, the filmmaker behind ‘Finding Nemo,’ ‘WALL-E’ and ‘Finding Dory,’ is directing his first mainline ‘Toy Story’ feature, with Conan O’Brien joining the cast as a new character named Smarty Pants. The story centers on Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie as their world is upended by Lilypad, a new tablet device voiced by Greta Lee that arrives with its own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen return once again as Woody and Buzz, alongside Joan Cusack’s Jessie.

That buildup has now been met with a verdict from the only audience that truly counts on opening night. A CinemaScore gave ‘Toy Story 5’ a strong A grade from moviegoers who caught the film on its first night in theaters.

That result fits comfortably inside the franchise’s history with the polling service. Every previous mainline ‘Toy Story’ film has earned an A CinemaScore except ‘Toy Story 2,’ which scored the rarer A plus. The consistency suggests Pixar’s formula still lands with general audiences even as the series enters its fourth decade.

Critics have been a touch more divided than the audience grade implies. ‘Toy Story 5’ currently holds a certified fresh 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a strong number that nonetheless breaks the streak set by the first two films, both of which sit at a perfect 100 percent, with ‘Toy Story 3’ at 98 percent and ‘Toy Story 4’ at 97 percent. Some reviewers pushed back harder than the aggregate score suggests, with several outlets questioning whether the franchise had genuinely new ground left to cover.

The box office numbers have been far less ambiguous. ‘Toy Story 5’ scored a $17.5 million Thursday preview, a franchise record and the second highest preview haul ever for an animated film, trailing only ‘Incredibles 2.’ Industry trackers were forecasting an opening weekend between $160 million and $175 million, which would top ‘Toy Story 4’s’ previous franchise best of $120.9 million.

That combination of a healthy CinemaScore, strong previews and franchise record tracking marks a notable turnaround for Pixar. The studio’s most recent release, ‘Elio,’ managed just $152 million worldwide, making the demand for ‘Toy Story 5’ an especially welcome sign for Disney’s animation division. With Jessie finally stepping into the spotlight and a tablet now playing the role of household threat, the A grade suggests audiences are more than happy to spend a little more time with these toys.

Did ‘Toy Story 5’ earn its place alongside the franchise’s best entries for you, or does this tech versus toys showdown feel like one trip back to the toy box too many?