MOVIE NEWS – Toy Story 5 has now surpassed the $1.066 billion worldwide total of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Pixar’s sequel is also only a few million dollars away from becoming the biggest theatrical hit in its own franchise.
Disney and Pixar’s fifth Toy Story feature has reached approximately $1.07 billion at the global box office. Its reported production budget was $250 million, and because the movie remains in theaters, that total can still climb further.
The result puts the animated sequel narrowly ahead of one of Johnny Depp’s most lucrative blockbusters. Released in 2006, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest cost about $225 million and finished its run with $1.066 billion worldwide.
Woody and Buzz are closing in on another milestone
Toy Story 5 needs roughly another $4 million to move past the lifetime gross of Toy Story 4. Reaching that mark would make the latest installment the highest-grossing entry in the entire series.
The franchise’s trajectory is especially notable because eleven years separated the second and third films. When Toy Story 3 finally arrived, it earned more than the first two movies combined and created enough momentum for two additional sequels. Disney officially confirmed the fifth chapter in 2023.
The latest film’s performance leaves the door open for further installments. At the same time, its story points toward a possible generational change in which Woody and Buzz Lightyear could gradually make room for a new cast of characters.
Tom Hanks’ age has also prompted questions about how long he can continue voicing Woody. The actor has nevertheless indicated that a technological solution might allow him to keep performing the role in the future.
Jack Sparrow’s billion-dollar voyage
Johnny Depp was already known for prominent work in Platoon, Donnie Brasco, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Edward Scissorhands before he debuted as Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003. Made for $140 million, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl collected $654.3 million worldwide, while Depp’s eccentric pirate quickly became its defining character.
Jack Sparrow was not necessarily conceived as the story’s sole leading hero, but his popularity gave him a much larger presence in the sequel. Dead Man’s Chest crossed the billion-dollar threshold and remained a high point for the adventure franchise.
The later entries delivered diminishing returns. Even so, Disney continues to prioritize a sixth film nine years after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, although it has not yet become clear whether the project will continue the existing narrative or reboot the property.
Both series may therefore face the same long-term dilemma: how to preserve a billion-dollar brand without the heroes most closely identified with it. For now, the success of Toy Story 5 confirms that Woody and Buzz still possess enormous drawing power at the box office.
Source: MovieWeb
