Pixar’s ‘Lightyear’ Struggles at the Box-Office; Did Same-Sex Kiss Controversy Play a Role?

Here’s concerning news for Disney.

“Lightyear,” the 5th “Toy Story” movie, and the prequel to the other four, has been somewhat struggling this weekend at the box-office.

The film was projected to bring in $70M-$85M over the 3-day weekend, but Disney is now looking at a $45-$50 million opening. That’s a $30 million negative.

Three years ago, “Toy Story 4” opened to $120.9 million. I’ve spoken to more than a few people who were irked by Pixar’s hiring Chris Evans to voice Buzz Lightyear instead of Tim Allen. It was an unusual decision.

Then there’s the same-sex kiss controversy. Don’t get me wrong, I find nothing wrong with it, but didn’t Disney realize the consequences of adding gay content to an animated film of theirs? Trying to sell it to a fairly religious America was a stretch, especially when parents are the ones in control of what their kids can and cannot see in theaters.

Add in the fact that a few conservative congressmen and senators have recently complained about the gay content in “Lightyear”, and you have a perfect recipe for lukewarm box-office performance.

Loyal fans could also just be getting bored of the franchise. Then again, the kiddie-aimed movie market isn’t supposed to be this underwhelming in the summer, especially with such a stalwart franchise like “Toy Story”.

“Lightyear” has so far made $85 million worldwide with a budget of $200 million and that doesn’t even account for the costly marketing campaign behind the film. Even worse, the film has been banned in 15 countries, including the world’s biggest market (China).

Mark this as a catastrophe for Disney.