Toy Story 5 pits Woody and Buzz against a tablet

A $13 million to $14 million preview night would say as much about the theatrical business as it does about Disney’s brand power: in the streaming era, a legacy family franchise can still create urgency, at least when the only place to see it is a movie theater. That level of demand would put Pixar’s latest chapter on track for a franchise-record launch-night benchmark and reinforce that “Toy Story” remains one of the few series that can still move parents and kids together on opening night.

The numbers behind the brand are already enormous. Before this installment, the four main “Toy Story” films had grossed more than $3.3 billion worldwide, with “Toy Story 4” reaching about $434.0 million domestically and $1.071 billion worldwide, and “Toy Story 3” finishing at about $415.0 million domestically and $1.069 billion worldwide. Adjusted for years of ticket-price inflation, those older entries represent even more admissions than their raw dollar totals suggest, which means the real question is not whether the franchise is popular, but whether it still feels like a must-see event rather than a nostalgia purchase.

Disney and Pixar have leaned into that question with a premise built for the current moment. The company describes the film as “Toy meets Tech,” and the story centers on Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the rest of the toys confronting an electronics-driven threat to playtime. Bonnie’s new interactive tablet, Lilypad, sits at the center of that conflict. Andrew Stanton directs, Kenna Harris co-directs and Lindsey Collins produces, while the film runs 102 minutes and is rated PG for some thematic elements and rude humor.

A roughly $150 million U.S. opening would not threaten the all-time animated record, still held by “Incredibles 2” at $182.6 million, but it would put “Toy Story 5” in rare company for 2026 and confirm that Disney can still turn a decades-old animated property into a theatrical event. The box office test is bigger than one franchise weekend: it will show whether a family brand can still beat the logic of waiting for streaming, or whether the audience is simply paying premium prices to revisit a beloved name.