Pixar and Disney’s Lightyear are in a surprise close race for the top spot at the Father’s Day and Juneteenth holiday box office, thanks to holdover Jurassic World Dominion. Lightyear was expected to debut in North America with a budget of at least $70 million to $85 million, but it currently looks that the animated family film would only make $52 million to $55 million over the three-day weekend. Jurassic World Dominion, a Universal and Amblin production, is expected to make $57 million in its second outing.
Because Monday is a federal holiday commemorating Juneteenth, box office traffic may be similar to that of Saturday and Sunday. Jurassic World 3’s domestic total might reach $66 million in four days, according to Universal sources.
Lightyear may reach $60 million by Monday, but Pixar’s Toy Story spinoff’s start has been a massive letdown. The genesis story stars Chris Evans as the legendary Space Ranger, and it marks Pixar’s return to the big screen after many of its animated family films were forced to go directly to Disney+ because to the COVID-19 outbreak. As the box office continues to rebound, Lightyear serves as a test for the health of the family market. The animated picture now has an 80 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, which is on the lower end for a Pixar release, especially in the Toy Story franchise.
It received an A- CinemaScore from the audience. Once the weekend is through, there will be plenty of Monday quarterbacking about what went wrong. Lightyear debuted at No. 1 on Friday, grossing $20.7 million on its first day. On Saturday and Sunday, Jurassic World Dominion, which made $15.7 million, overtook the Pixar crown, according to several models. Dominion, which has surpassed $500 million in worldwide sales, is expected to close the weekend with a domestic total of $257 million. In its fourth weekend, Paramount and Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick remains a powerful force. The film is on track to make $40 million in its first three days, bringing its domestic total to $462 million as it approaches the $500 million barrier.