Some were excited, while others labeled the attempt to revive the franchise after 7 years as nothing more than a cash grab. Despite these reservations, Toy Story 5 has completely blown previous opening weekend records out of the water, earning $312 million globally as of this writing.
After over 3 decades, the Toy Story franchise is continuing to find new ways of maintaining its audience. Writer and director Andrew Stanton, who has been with the franchise since the beginning, told Empire that the franchise "allows us to embrace time and change." While the original trilogy documents Andy’s path towards growing up, the latest two installments have more to do with the changing nature of childhood itself. "Nobody’s really playing with toys anymore," Stanton explains. "Technology has changed everybody’s lives, but we’re asking what that means for us – and to our kids."
Toy Story 5 picks up a few years after the events of Toy Story 4, with Jessie thriving as the new leader of Bonnie’s toys. After Bonnie’s parents buy her a Lilypad so that she can fit in with the other kids at school, Jessie begins to worry about being abandoned for the second time. These themes – anxiety about technology, the digital age, and loneliness – speak to audience members of all ages.
However, Toy Story 5 seemed to be more popular with older audiences than with the kids it was made for. Only 44% of the opening weekend audience were under 25, compared to the 59% that turned out for Toy Story 4. This trend isn’t new for Pixar. Incredibles 2, which was released 14 years after the original, saw a strong combination of families as well as Millennials who saw the first movie as children. Inside Out 2, released 9 years after the original, saw a similarly split audience of children and Gen-Zers.
How does Pixar manage to keep old fans returning to the theater after so many years? Part of it certainly has to do with the wait. Toy Story 3 came out 11 years after Toy Story 2 and featured an 18-year-old Andy ready to leave his toys behind as he prepares for college. Because of the gap, the timing perfectly matched the lives of the children who grew up with the first two movies. 16 years later, it’s safe to say that many of those children are now parents with kids of their own. By placing the toys with a new child, Pixar is passing the franchise down to the next generation.
Toy Story 5 is in theatres now!
