Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” continues to struggle at the box office, earning just $17.7 million in its second domestic weekend. That’s a record-for-Pixar drop of 65% from it’s first week.
“Lightyear” was behind both “Jurassic World Dominion” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” which have held the attention of audiences for at least three weeks. The film cost $200 million to produce and has earned just $88.7 million domestic and $63.2 million overseas for a $153 million global total.
Expectations were high because the last two films in the Toy Story franchise both opened to more than $100 million in ticket sales. “Toy Story 4” in 2019 topped $120 million in its domestic debut and “Toy Story 3″ generated more than $110 million during its opening 2010.
“Lightyear” is a sci-fi action adventure and the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear (voice of Chris Evans), the hero who inspired the toy from the ‘Toy Story’ movies. The all-new story follows the legendary Space Ranger on an intergalactic adventure alongside a group of ambitious recruits and their robot companion Sox.
Lightyear has come under fire by some groups, who are unhappy the film features a same-sex couple. There have been a slew of negative reviews on film sites, including Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, due to a scene in the film that depicts a kiss between Buzz’s best friend Alisha Hawthorne and her wife. The scene was initially cut, but was later restored after internal protests at Pixar and Disney. The movie has also been banned in over 14 markets in the Middle East and Asia because of the same-sex relationship.