If you think about it, 19 percent of all Pixar films have crossed over $1 Billion in box office totals (4 out of 21) — that is astounding us when looking back over their catalog. It also speaks to why Pixar as a business is interested in producing sequels. All four of the films which surpassed this marker (Toy Story 3, Finding Dory, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 4) were follow-ups to their original story.
Of course, ticket price increases and the number of theaters the film opens in play a role in reaching $1 Billion, but it definitely shows the importance of balancing original stories (to keep the pipeline fresh and have the studio be viewed as an innovator) with sequels. The financial benefit of continuing a story can be a gamble, but character-rich franchises with great stories like Toy Story have paid off big for the studio.
Crossing the marker after 55 days in theaters, Toy Story 4 was just behind the 46-day record set by Incredibles 2's one year earlier. Below is a rundown of revenues and where Toy Story 4 stacks up (as of August 15) — numbers via Box Office Mojo.
TOY STORY 4 BOX OFFICE TOTALS
- Domestic —$421,823,837
- + Foreign — $579,900,000
- = Worldwide —$1,001,723,837
ANIMATED FILMS EXCEEDING $1 BILLION IN REVENUE
- Frozen — $1,276,480,335
- Incredibles 2 — $1,242,805,359
- Minions — $1,159,398,397
- Toy Story 3 — $1,066,969,703
- Despicable Me 3 — $1,034,799,409
- Finding Dory — $1,028,570,889
- Zootopia — $1,023,784,195
- Toy Story 4 — $1,001,723,837 (as of August 15, this number will rise)
HIGHEST DOMESTIC REVENUE FOR PIXAR
- Incredibles 2— $608,581,744
- Finding Dory— $486,295,561
- Toy Story 4— $421,823,837
- Toy Story 3— $415,004,880
- Inside Out— $356,461,711
Congratulations to Director, Josh Cooley and the entire Toy Story 4 crew for their hard work crafting the film — you all deserve the recognition!