Toy Story 5 Surges Past $300M While Supergirl Disappoints With $40M Debut
This weekend at the box office, Pixar's Toy Story 5 maintained the top position in its second weekend with approximately 70 to 73 million dollars, bringing its domestic total to around 297 to 300 million dollars just ten days after release. Disney and Pixar's animated sequel achieved the biggest opening of 2026 at 160 million dollars. In stark contrast, Warner Bros. and DC Studios released Supergirl, which opened to just 38 to 40 million dollars domestically against a 170 million dollar budget. The superhero film, starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, falls significantly short of industry projections of 47 to 50 million dollars and receives mixed critical reception with a 56 to 57 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Supergirl's weaker-than-expected performance marks a stumble for the newly rebooted DC Universe under James Gunn's leadership, following last year's Superman. The contrast between the two films underscores the current strength of animated sequels and the broader challenges facing superhero properties in a shifting marketplace.
Key facts
- Toy Story 5 earned $160 million in its opening weekend, setting a new franchise record and securing 2026's biggest debut.
- Toy Story 5 crossed the $300 million domestic milestone in just 10 days with a second-weekend take of approximately $70-73 million.
- Supergirl opened to $38-40 million domestically against a $170 million production budget, missing projections by $7-12 million.
- Supergirl holds a 56-57% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes with a B- CinemaScore, indicating mixed audience reception.
- Supergirl's target demographic of young women made up a smaller portion of opening-weekend audiences, with 59% male attendance.
- Toy Story 5 achieved the second-largest animated opening weekend in history, behind only Incredibles 2's $182.7 million.
- Supergirl earned approximately $68 million globally in its opening weekend across multiple markets.
Limits of this briefing
Box office reporting focuses on commercial performance rather than cultural impact or artistic merit. The Supergirl underperformance reflects multiple factors—audience demographics, critical reception, and franchise fatigue—rather than any single cause. Long-term box office trajectories, especially for Supergirl, remain uncertain and dependent on holiday weekends and international performance.
Sources
- Deadline: Box Office: 'Toy Story 5' $70M No. 1., 'Supergirl' Tanks With $38M Opening Centre
- Variety: 'Supergirl' Stumbles in Box Office Debut, 'Toy Story 5' Remains No. 1 Centre
- The Hollywood Reporter: Box Office: 'Supergirl' Opening in Second Place Behind 'Toy Story 5' Centre
- CNBC: A surprisingly strong summer box office could mean Hollywood's first $10 billion year since the pandemic Centre
- NBC News: 'Toy Story 5' rakes in the biggest box-office debut of 2026 Centre