Disney fourth installment of the “Toy Story” franchise hit over $1 billion in global box office sales, the company announced this week. The film is Disney’s fifth billion dollar release this year.
“It is almost comical,” Sean O'Connell, the managing director of Cinemablend, said of Disney’s success.
“Toy Story 4” was made by Pixar, a Disney ($DIS) subsidiary, and released domestically on June 20, boasting over $120 million in its debut weekend. To date, the film has grossed over $421 million in the U.S. and nearly $580 million internationally.
Disney’s other films that hit $1 billion in sales this year include “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
In total, Disney has so far had four animated films reach the $1 billion milestone: “Incredibles 2,” “Finding Doy,” and “Toy Story 3,” which was in 2010.
“I want some other studios to step up and put out movies that break through the culture zeitgeist,” O’Connell said. “And it is not happening right now.”
O’Connell added that Disney’s success this year is significant, especially since the studio does not have any expected hits for release in 2020. Yet with four months left in the year, Disney still has a strong lineup coming with the release of “Frozen 2” in November and "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" in December.
Disney's stock has been up roughly 23 percent year-to-date.
