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\n Toy Story 4 has the honor of being the 21st Disney Pixar movie to hit theaters and ends a franchise... [+] that started in 1995.
\n Walt Disney Pictures\n
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Toy Story 4 is proof that Woody, Buzz, and co can still pull strings at the box office.
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While the final installment in the tetralogy fell short of the expected $140 million to $170 million domestic box office debut, it still managed an entirely respectable $118 million opening weekend taking the top spot. Not only that but, unadjusted for inflation, it beat the $110.31 million opening weekend achieved by Toy Story 3, which was meant to be the last film in the franchise that kicked off in 1995.
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Additionally, Toy Story 4 has the honor of having the third-highest opening weekend of the year at the domestic box office to date behind Avengers: Endgame ($357.12 million) and Captain Marvel ($153.43 million) \u2013 both are also Disney releases. Not only that, but it\u2019s also ahead of fourth-placed Aladdin ($91.5 million), another Disney movie.
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This seems like the perfect time to take a look at where the box office opening weekend for Toy Story 4, the 21st Pixar movie, ranks against the 20 others that have come before it. Are you wondering why A Bug\u2019s Life and Toy Story 2 rank so low? It\u2019s because they opened in just one movie theater and then went wide.
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All figures are domestic and unadjusted for inflation unless otherwise stated.
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21. A Bug\u2019s Life (Disney) 1998
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Opening Weekend: $291,121
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Final Box Office: $162.8 million
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Inspired by Aesop\u2019s fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, production on A Bug\u2019s Life began not long after the release of Toy Story in 1995 and was Roddy McDowall\u2019s final role before his death. The film went on to inspire the It\u2019s Tough To Be A Bug theme park attraction at Disney\u2019s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, as well as an entire themed land at Disney\u2019s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, California.
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20. Toy Story 2 (Disney) 1999
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Opening Weekend: $300,163
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Final Box Office: $245.9 million
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Made in nine months and initially envisioned as a straight-to-video sequel, when story reels went down well, Disney upgraded Toy Story 2 to a full theatrical release. Pixar wasn\u2019t happy with the film, so director John Lasseter and his team redeveloped the entire plot in one weekend. The whole movie was turned around in nine months - they usually take two years. It remains a classic.
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19. Toy Story (Disney) 1995
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Opening Weekend: $29.14 million
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Final Box Office: $191.8 million
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Toy Story was Pixar\u2019s first full-length feature, having previously only turned out shorts. At the time, Pixar was just a small company with a handful of employees, and budgets were tight. The release, critical and commercial success of Toy Story changed everything and spawned a legacy that includes theme park attractions and three sequels.
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18. The Good Dinosaur (Disney) 2015
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Opening Weekend: $39.16 million
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Final Box Office: $123.09 million
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Set on a fictional Earth in which dinosaurs never became extinct, The Good Dinosaur grossed $332 million worldwide, making it Pixar\u2019s lowest-grossing film. Even though critics liked it, audiences failed to get on board with the 3D animated adventure. The Good Dinosaur has the dubious honor of being considered to be the first box office bomb for Pixar.
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17. Ratatouille (Disney) 2007
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Opening Weekend: $47.03 million
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Final Box Office: $206.45 million
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Ratatouille, directed by Brad Bird, grossed $620.7 million at the box office and received worldwide acclaim. It went on to win the Oscars for Best Animated Feature and was nominated for four others, including Michael Giacchino\u2019s first Oscar nomination for Best Original Score. Like so many other Pixar movies, Ratatouille has gone on to be immortalized as a theme park ride, this time at Disneyland Paris.
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16. Coco (Disney) 2017
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Opening Weekend: $50.8 million
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Final Box Office: $209.73 million
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Coco made its theatrical debut in Mexico almost a month before its release in the United States which made perfect sense as the movie is set there. Despite only hitting theaters in late November, Coco went on to become the 11th highest-grossing film of 2017. The critically-acclaimed feature also secured two Oscar nominations which turned into two wins \u2013 Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for Remember Me.
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15. Cars 3 (Disney) 2017
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Opening Weekend: $53.69 million
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Final Box Office: $152.9 million
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Projected to open with a domestic take of around $60 million, it debuted with $53.69 million, but that was still enough for Cars 3 to take the top spot at the weekend\u2019s box office. The 16th Pixar film to debut at number one it was, however, the lowest opening weekend of the Cars series. This is where the franchise appears to have ground to a halt as far as big screen outings are concerned.
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14. Cars (Disney) 2006
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Opening Weekend: $60.12 million
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Final Box Office: $244.08 million
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Cars opened to mostly positive reviews from critics and was nominated for two Oscars including Best Animated Feature. Merchandise inspired by the film and its characters broke records for retail sales of merchandise based on a Disney-Pixar movie, bringing an estimated $10 billion in just five years after the film\u2019s release. It spawned two sequels and an entire area at Disney\u2019s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, California.
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13. Monsters Inc. (Disney) 2001
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Opening Weekend: $62.58 million
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Final Box Office: $255.87 million
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John Goodman and Billy Crystal led the cast as top scarer Sully and his colleague Mike Wazowski, two monsters employed at the energy-producing factory, Monsters, Inc. - they help generate their city\u2019s power by scaring children. Originally released in 2D, Disney and Pixar re-released Monsters, Inc. in 3D a year later. Did it inspire a theme park ride? Of course it did! A Monsters TV series is headed to the Disney+ streaming platform which will roll out in fall 2019.
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12. WALL-E (Disney) 2008
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Opening Weekend: $63.09 million
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Final Box Office: $223.81 million
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Pixar\u2019s first animated film with segments featuring live-action characters, WALL-E was an instant smash hit, grossing $533.3 million worldwide over a $180 million budget, and getting almost unanimous acclaim from critics. It also went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, one of five categories it was nominated in. This movie doesn\u2019t get enough love these days, and that is a crying shame.
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11. Cars 2 (Disney) 2011
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Opening Weekend: $66.14 million
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Final Box Office: $191.45 million
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At the time, Cars was only the second Pixar film, after Toy Story, to have a sequel but that doesn\u2019t mean it is as well loved. On Rotten Tomatoes, Cars 2 has, based on 205 reviews, an approval rating of 38%, making it the only Pixar film to be certified Rotten. Cars 2 was also the first Pixar film not to be nominated for an Oscar.
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10. Brave (Disney) 2012
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Opening Weekend: $66.32 million
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Final Box Office: $237.28 million
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Set in the Scottish Highlands, Brave tells the story of a princess, Merida, who doesn\u2019t want to get married, causing chaos in the kingdom. Brenda Chapman, co-directing with Mark Andrews, became Pixar\u2019s first female director of a feature-length film. Brave doesn't get the respect it deserves.
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9. Up (Disney) 2009
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Opening Weekend: $68.11 million
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Final Box Office: $293 million
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Up opened the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first animated and 3D film to do so. Critics and audiences loved it. It received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. At the time, there were only two animated films to ever receive that nomination - the first was Disney\u2019s Beauty and the Beast.
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8. Finding Nemo (Disney) 2003
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Opening Weekend: $70.25 million
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Final Box Office: $339.71 million
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Finding Nemo, another critical smash, won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature and was nominated in three more categories. It also became the highest-grossing animated film at the time and was the second highest-grossing film of 2003. It was the highest-grossing G-rated film of all time before Pixar\u2019s own Toy Story 3 overtook it.
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7. The Incredibles (Disney) 2004
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Opening Weekend: $70.47 million
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Final Box Office: $261.44 million
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Director Brad Bird, pitched the film, inspired by the comic books and spy films from his boyhood, to Pixar after the box office disappointment of his first feature, The Iron Giant. As well as getting two Oscar nominations, The Incredibles was the first entirely animated film to win the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. It has gone on to become a Pixar fan favorite and spawned a sequel.
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6. Monsters University (Disney) 2013
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Opening Weekend: $82.43 million
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Final Box Office: $268.49 million
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Made for around $200 million, Monsters University, a prequel to Monsters Inc., grossed $744 million at the worldwide box office. The sequel went on to become the seventh highest-grossing film of 2013 and was, at the time, the third-highest-grossing Pixar film. It didn\u2019t manage to secure an Oscar nomination but was nominated for a slew of other awards including a BAFTA and Critics\u2019 Choice Award.
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5. Inside Out (Disney) 2015
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Opening Weekend: $90.44 million
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Final Box Office: $356.46 million
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Inside Out was the third Disney-Pixar film directed by Pete Docter after Up and Monsters Inc. Inside Out grossed $90.4 million in its first weekend domestically, making it, at the time, the highest opening for an original title. It went on to take over $857 million at the worldwide box office. Critics and audiences both loved it, and it received a slew of award nominations.
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4. Toy Story 3 (Disney) 2010
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Opening Weekend: $110.31 million
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Final Box Office: $415 million
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Toy Story 3 became the second Pixar film, after Up, and third animated film overall, after Beauty and the Beast and Up, to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Among other accolades, Toy Story 3 became the first animated movie to take over $1 billion worldwide at the worldwide box office. Toy Story 3 was also originally meant to be the end of the line for the Toy Story movies on the big screen, but it turns out, that wasn\u2019t to be the case.
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3. Toy Story 4 (Disney) 2019
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Opening Weekend: $118 million
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Final Box Office: TBD
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Coming nine years after the release of Toy Story 3, two years after it was initially due to have been released, Toy Story 4 received rave reviews from critics. It debuted domestically with $118 million, the highest of the franchise (unadjusted for inflation), but still below expectations. Made for between $190 million and $200 million, Toy Story 4 has made back its budget in its opening weekend thanks to it earning $238 million at the worldwide box office.
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2. Finding Dory (Disney) 2016
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Opening Weekend: $135.06 million
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Final Box Office: $486.3 million
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A critical and commercial success, Finding Dory grossed over $1 billion worldwide, becoming only the second Pixar film to do so. The film set numerous records, including the highest-grossing animated film opening of all time in North America. Worldwide, it was the third-highest-grossing film of 2016 behind Captain America: Civil War and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the highest-grossing animated film of 2016 and is the second-highest-grossing Pixar film ever behind Incredibles 2 - globally it is the third highest behind Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 3.
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1. Incredibles 2 (Disney) 2018
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Opening Weekend: $182.69 million
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Final Box Office: $608.58 million
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Not only does Incredibles 2 have the honor of topping this list, but the fourth highest-grossing film of 2018 also set the record for the best box office best debut for an animated movie. Incredibles 2 went on to gross over $1.2 billion worldwide and also became the third Pixar film to gross more than $1 billion globally \u2013 the other two to achieve that are Finding Dory and Toy Story 3. Opening to mostly positive reviews, Incredibles 2 was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. And these aren\u2019t even all the things it achieved. Incredible, indeed.
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Toy Story 4 is in theaters now.