“Toy Story 5” Gives Huge Boost To Disney+ Viewership
This past weekend, Disney released Pixar’s latest animated film, “Toy Story 5”, which is the latest addition to the iconic franchise, in cinemas around the world.
The film has already proved to be a box-office success, pulling in an estimated $312 million worldwide in its debut this weekend, including $160 million domestically and $152 million overseas.
In the new film, the toys are back, and this time it’s Toy meets Tech. Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), Jessie (voice of Joan Cusack) and the rest of the gang’s jobs are challenged when they come face-to-face with Lilypad (voice of Greta Lee), a brand-new tablet device that arrives with her own disruptive ideas about what is best for their kid, Bonnie. Will playtime ever be the same?
Ahead of the initial box office success, Disney has announced that the release of the fifth instalment has caused a massive boost in viewership of the previous films across Disney+, with the first four Toy Story films driving over 60 million hours on Disney+, marking the largest lift ever seen for an upcoming theatrical release.
Over the next few months, we can expect more fans of the franchise to check out the previous instalments, and when “Toy Story 5” arrives on Disney+ in a few months’ time, it’ll no doubt be one of the biggest streaming movie releases of the year, further boosting viewership.
Roger’s Take: Disney has often reported that the release of new instalments in franchises is extremely beneficial to Disney+ viewership numbers, and it makes total sense. I’ve done it myself on many occasions. A new film is coming out, and I go back and rewatch the older ones to “get ready” for it. This year alone, I did it for “Zootopia”, “The Mandalorian” and “Devil Wears Prada”, with also plans to watch “Infinity War” ahead of the theatrical re-release of “Endgame” before “Doomsday” comes out.
This is why Disney loves existing franchises, because new instalments lift up everything they’ve already built. Not just Disney+ viewership, but its theme parks, cruise lines, merchandise and more. It’s a safe bet, and the same thing is likely going to happen with “Moana” in the next few weeks, and it’ll continue to happen.
Have you checked out any “Toy Story” movies on Disney+ ahead of the release of “Toy Story 5”? Let me know on social media!
