Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ underwhelms with $ 51 m debut as ‘Jurassic World’ stays No. 1

Saturday, 25 June 2022 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Cast member Bryce Dallas Howard attends a premiere for the film ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ – Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com): To infinity and beyond? Not exactly...

‘Lightyear,’ a spinoff story set in Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ universe, fell short of that boundless milestone in its box office debut, collecting a lacklustre $ 51 million from 4,255 North American theatres. Family audiences, the movie’s prime demographic, have been largely absent since COVID. But even so, those ticket sales are disappointing for a brand as recognisable as Pixar, the home of ‘The Incredibles,’ ‘Finding Nemo’ and ‘Up.’ It’s particularly problematic given that ‘Lightyear’ cost $ 200 million to produce and tens of millions more to market.

Heading into the weekend, the Disney film was expected to generate at least $ 70 million. But its ambitions were thwarted by heightened competition from Universal’s behemoth ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ and Paramount’s high-flying ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ as well as little intrigue to watch a slightly esoteric origin story about Buzz Lightyear, one that had only a tenuous connection to the four films in the popular kid-friendly franchise. With its wobbly liftoff, ‘Lightyear’ landed in second place, becoming one of the rare Pixar films to not take the top spot at the domestic box office.

Even with a colossal 60% decline, ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ managed to capture the box office crown again. Universal’s prehistoric sequel generated $ 58.6 million from 4,697 cinemas in its second weekend of release, bringing its domestic total to $ 259 million.

In third place, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ continues to fly high with a mammoth $ 44 million from 4,035 venues in North America. Those box office returns, a scant $ 15% drop from its prior outing, are especially significant because the film has been playing in theatres for a month. Only one film, ‘Avatar’ with $ 50 million in its fourth weekend of release, has generated more at this point in its theatrical run. To date, sequel to 1986’s ‘Top Gun’ has grossed $ 466 million in the US and Canada and $ 885 million globally, making the film the biggest blockbuster in Tom Cruise’s decades-long career.

Disney’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ took the No. 4 slot with $ 4.2 million from 2,455 locations.