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That’s not quite what Disney had wanted to hear after this weekend’s release of “Toy Story 4.” The studio had expected its latest animated blockbuster to debut with around $22 million more than that in domestic ticket sales — but $118 million is what it got.
Even the expected sales of at least $140 million wouldn’t have reached the $182.7 million that the previous Disney-Pixar movie, “Incredibles 2,” opened with last year. But the gulf between the two movies’ totals suggests that perhaps “Toy Story,” Pixar’s longest-running series, has limited power to convince families that they need to rush out for a fourth installment, which for many is a tougher sell than an initial sequel.
That being said, the franchise’s name recognition still counts for something. “Toy Story 4” made well over double the $50.8 million that “Coco” earned during its first weekend in domestic theaters in 2017. And it had the third-best opening North American theaters have seen so far this year, behind two other Disney releases: “Captain Marvel” ($153.4 million) and “Avengers: Endgame” ($357.1 million).
The studio said “Toy Story 4” brought in an additional $120 million internationally this weekend.
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There was only one other brand-new release in the top 10 this weekend, the horror movie “Child’s Play,” from Orion Pictures, which opened at No. 2 with $14 million in domestic ticket sales. The movie is a re-imagining of the 1988 slasher film of the same name, which gave birth to the killer doll known as Chucky.
Third place went to Disney’s “Aladdin,” which made $12.2 million in its fifth weekend in American theaters, according to Comscore, which compiles box-office data. “Men in Black: International” dropped to fourth in its second weekend, bringing in $10.8 million and continuing to be a disappointment for Sony. The animated “Secret Life of Pets 2,” from Universal and Illumination, rounded out the top five with $10.3 million.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.