Buzz with new character, Lotso, as Woody looks on
Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 3 made its way into theaters on Friday, June 18, and boasted $41 million in ticket sales in North America. It is the biggest opening ever for an animated film. The former record was held by Shrek The Third, which brought Dreamworks $38.4 million when it was released in May of 2007.
The newest entry in the Toy Story franchise is currently playing in 4,025 theaters, which is also the most amount of theaters a Pixar film has debuted with. Pixar has never before crossed the $100 million mark for an opening weekend, but that will most likely end this weekend.
It has been almost 11 years since the original Toy Story came out in theaters, but it seems as if the passing time only built anticipation for the return of Woody, Buzz, and Andy’s other toys. In the past few months, Disney and Pixar have relentlessly marketed the new film, employing social networking sites and viral marketing to build buzz before its release. In April, “cliffhanger screenings” were screened for college students, where all but the final 20 minutes were shown, leaving them anxious for more. The innovative commercial campaign looks like it has paid off, as the final weekend total for the film may reach $120 million.
The other new releases for the weekend barely made a dent, as Jonah Hex made $1.96 million on Friday, and Cyrus, which was only released into 4 theaters, made $52,211.
Stay tuned for more updates as we find out more.
Source: HollywoodNews.com
