Disney's Toy Story 5 has achieved the animated franchise's best ever opening weekend, with ticket sales exceeding $300m (£227m) globally. Released on 19 June, the fifth installment sees Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear facing their toughest rival yet: a tablet computer. Because nothing says existential threat like a screen that steals your kid's attention.

Its strong box office performance marks a return to form for Disney and Pixar after a series of challenges in recent years. The film is estimated to be this year's second-biggest opening weekend globally, trailing only The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which currently holds the title of highest-grossing film of the year with over $1bn.

Toy Story 5 grossed over $160m in North America and more than $150m internationally in its first weekend. With an estimated production budget of $250m, it will need to make at least twice that amount to cover marketing and other expenses. Pixar films historically recoup their budgets comfortably, often bringing in three times their cost to make and promote. Sequels like The Incredibles 2 and Inside Out 2 have crossed the $1bn mark.

But recent titles like Elio and the Toy Story spin-off Lightyear have bombed at the box office. Disney's latest big-budget Star Wars spin-off, The Mandalorian and Grogu, has yet to double its $165m cost. Overall box office revenues have declined since the Covid-19 pandemic, as studios struggle to lure audiences away from streaming services like Netflix and Disney+. Big-budget blockbusters have suffered, with many underperforming.

Still, the Toy Story series remains one of Pixar's most lucrative franchises, having raked in more than $3bn globally since audiences met Woody and Buzz in 1995. The original movie revolutionized computer-generated graphics and propelled Pixar into the ranks of leading animation studios. The third and fourth installments each made over $1bn. Looks like the toys still have some life left in them.