Why isn't Lightyear taking off at the box office?

Lightyear.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Disney, iStock)

Lightyear is struggling to soar to infinity and beyond. So why hasn't this origin story generated the buzz Disney hoped?

The Toy Story spinoff from Pixar was expected to be one of the biggest hits of the summer movie season. Instead, it's been a box office disappointment, grossing $50 million domestically in its opening weekend — below projections of $70 million or more and far below the $120 million opening of Toy Story 4. It also had a big 65 percent drop in its second weekend, grossing $17.7 million. Experts say a variety of factors likely contributed to the disappointing showing.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.