• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Arts & Entertainment

Can ‘Toy Story 4’ Defeat Streaming and Rescue Theaters From a Summer Slump?

By
Dan Reilly
Dan Reilly
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Reilly
Dan Reilly
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 21, 2019, 1:23 PM ET

It hasn’t been a great start for Hollywood’s summer. After last weekend, the box office haul for 2019’s vacation season was less than 1% above last year’s take at this point, raking in $1.59 billion this month. A big part of that is due to Avengers: Endgame—despite its April release—still earning $350 million. Meanwhile, Dark Phoenix, Men in Black: International, and Godzilla: King of Monsters all underperformed, thanks to bad reviews and a lack of moviegoer enthusiasm.

But now Woody, Buzz, and the gang are here to help, as Toy Story 4 is projected to make $260 million in its opening weekend, according to Deadline. The Pixar sequel already has a 98% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and looks poised to replicate the success of its $1-billion-earning predecessor. And its release will be followed by Spider-Man: Far From Home, which picks up after Endgame, then the highly anticipated all-star Lion King remake and the critic-proof Fast & Furious sequel Hobbs & Shaw with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham.

It’d be shocking if any of those movies underperformed, but even if they’re huge successes, it could still leave many in Tinseltown wary about the future viability of people actually seeing movies in theaters. As The Hollywood Reporter recently explored, this season’s comedies like Booksmart and Late Night failed to deliver financially, in spite of great reviews. Two dozen filmmakers, actors, and producers told the New York Times that streaming especially is killing the audience’s desire to go out and see anything that isn’t an effects-laden blockbuster.

Just look at Adam Sandler’s new Netflix movie, Murder Mystery. In its first weekend, the comedy got over 30 million streams worldwide, which would’ve equaled more than $270 million in theaters had that same number of viewers actually bought tickets to see it. That was in spite of its getting only a 45% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

So will Toy Story 4 and other movies that play better on big screens quell Hollywood’s dread over its declining numbers? Yes—but only for a little while. Without a surprise hit, all the biggest movies this summer, including the aforementioned flops, are sequels or remakes, so don’t expect a huge change next year. Even Joe Russo, who directed Endgame with his brother Anthony, lamented to the Times that they had a much tougher time getting support for their next movie, Cherry, a darker drama starring Tom Holland, in spite of the billions they’d made for Disney.

Several high-profile studio executives also noted in the Times piece that they’re thinking more and more about what will work on the big screen. “We have to be even more selective, because if the audience perceives that it’s something similar to what they have seen on a streaming service or a cable service, it may not rise to the level of theatricality for them,” said Nancy Utley, cochairman of Fox Searchlight.

Still, it’s premature to write off the theatergoing experience. So far, theaters are keeping pace with last year’s haul, when Hollywood brought in $11.85 billion. And for all the panic at the box office, 2018’s take was a new record—and one that still could be topped this year.

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—Beyond the lineup: Bonnaroo’s elevated campground experiences

—Radiohead got hacked—and made the most of it

—Exclusive: Quibi taps Mellody Hobson, Roger Lynch for board of directors

—Salesforce’s Tableau purchase made a Toy Story Oscar winner a billionaire

—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily

Follow Fortune on Flipboard to stay up to date on the latest news and analysis.

About the Author
By Dan Reilly
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Arts & Entertainment

Trump picked a fight with the Pope: The one person he can’t fire, can’t outbid, and can’t outlast
PoliticsDonald Trump
Trump picked a fight with the Pope: The one person he can’t fire, can’t outbid, and can’t outlast
By Catherina GioinoMay 2, 2026
9 hours ago
infantino
North AmericaWorld Cup
Fifa’s Infantino predicted sellouts and ‘1,000 years of World Cups at once,’ but fans aren’t biting
By James Robson and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
24 hours ago
art
LawCrime
Father-daughter duo duped New York City art world with at least 200 fake Banksy, Warhols, Wyeths, prosecutors say
By Jake Offenhartz and The Associated PressApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
gen z
Arts & EntertainmentMedia
57% of Americans between 13 and 17 years old get news from social media at least once a day
By David Bauder, Linley Sanders and The Associated PressApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
Taylor Swift poses.
AICelebrities
Taylor Swift files to trademark her voice and image to save from potential AI misuse
By Maria Sherman and The Associated PressApril 28, 2026
4 days ago
damaro
CommentaryDisney
Disney’s $60 billion bet on the one thing AI can’t replace
By Roland BetancourtApril 28, 2026
4 days ago

Most Popular

Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
Personal Finance
Scott Bessent on financial literacy: 'it drives me crazy' to see young men in blue-collar construction jobs playing the lottery
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
Law
A Chick-fil-A worker got fired and then showed up behind the register to allegedly refund himself over $80,000 in mac and cheese
By Catherina GioinoMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
North America
China dominates the world's lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years' worth in its own backyard
By Jake AngeloApril 30, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 1, 2026
1 day ago
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
Success
Apple cofounder Ronald Wayne—whose stake would be worth up to $400 billion had he not sold it in 1976—says that at 91, he has no regrets
By Preston ForeApril 27, 2026
5 days ago
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
Commentary
The U.S. economy is booming — just not where 50 million Americans live
By Derek KilmerMay 1, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.