LIGHTYEAR opening | Animation spin-offs | Pandemic update | June 17 to 19, 2022 weekend

Opening weekend box office figures, charts and commentary

The current weekend: June 17 to 19, 2022

1) Lightyear opening and animation spin-offs

Pixar’s Lightyear

- This is a soft opening for a spin-off of one of the most successful animation series of all time. Toy Story defied gravity at the box office during its 27 year run, each episode topping the last, the last two clearing a billion dollars worldwide. But like all spin-offs, the Lightyear story is narrower now, Tim Allen's iconic voice has been replaced, and Woody is gone.

- On average, these movies drop -52% compared with the previous opening, and that’s approximately what is happening now. The film is running into the limitations of the spin-off form, following four sensational episodes.  This is still elite business — the weekend is more than double the average — it’s just no longer defying gravity:

- In recent years, only one animated spin-off has exceeded its predecessor's box office performance, and the follow-up to that movie will open in two weeks — Minions: The Rise of Gru.  Like the Toy Story series, Despicable Me/Minions has been notching billion dollar worldwide grosses.  The Minions spin-off was a unique and huge success, and the Gru sequel is well positioned for the long July 4th weekend.

2) Pandemic update

- New U.S. Covid cases have leveled off during the last four weeks, after rising from the most recent low on April 3rd.  Hospitalizations have also increased, although not quite as quickly as new cases.  None of these numbers are close to the highs we saw at the beginning of the year.  Moviegoing continues to recover, but around 15% of moviegoers say they are still not comfortable going to a movie (NRG’s industry survey).  One day those moviegoers will return, but not as long as Covid persists in this way: