The earnings of this series were closely tied to Duke. Leaving the premiere theater and returning to his Malibu home, Duke immediately updated his Instant Share and official website message, steadfastly promoting the film that could benefit him.
"Pixar Studios' Toy Story 3 comes seventeen years after the first film and more than ten years after the second. For an animated feature, such a time span means that the earliest fans who fell in love with Woody and Buzz Lightyear have already entered adulthood. In fact, this presents a rather unfavorable situation for a sequel to a children's film."
"But Pixar excels at appealing to all ages. The first hour of the film is a treat for new friends, and the last half-hour is a reward for old friends. Andy grows from an innocent little boy to a young man about to enter college. His various experiences easily allow the audience to empathize. Because of this, the entire film, though light-hearted and humorous, consistently conveys a subtle sense of compassion and melancholy—it is truly a gathering for farewell."
Like other Hollywood film companies, Pixar Studios does not exist in isolation. With the support of a giant platform like Time Warner, their promotional efforts undoubtedly attract more media attention.
Nostalgia is a marketing weapon in North America. Toy Story 3, heavily playing the nostalgia card, earned widespread praise in the media.
"The film has a clear main storyline with well-defined motivations, and an endless stream of unexpected events cleverly resolved, keeping the audience engaged in a process that, though the overall setting may feel slightly forced, is full of charm. The creators' interpretations of the characters are bold; each character shines and has a distinctive personality. Even antagonists like Lotso have rich character layers, particularly in the escape scenes, where each utilizes their strengths to cooperate creatively."
—The Washington Post
"Toy Story 3 is far superior to WALL-E and Up. In its 103-minute runtime, it never neglects the audience's interest. It contains action, thrilling elements, and vivid characters, with a continuously advancing story. In short, it has everything a movie should—humor, emotion, excitement, and cleverness."
—Los Angeles Times
"A sincerely joyful summer film, full of action, humor, and nostalgia; it truly directs immense cultural influence while maintaining an engaging story atmosphere."
—Yahoo Entertainment
Toy Story 3 ignited an unprecedented wave of praise for animated films.
The next day, the media's composite score reached 96, with Rotten Tomatoes freshness at 97%. Among 161 media outlets, only three gave low ratings. Arizona Republic, Box Office Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood Reporter, New York Daily News, MovieWeb, New Orleans Times, New York Magazine, Los Angeles Times, The Oregonian, Time, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, as well as Yahoo Entertainment and Salon, all generously awarded scores of ten or nine.
In CinemaScore, the market research institution best reflecting audience opinion, Toy Story 3 received the highest A+ rating. It became the second film this year in North America to achieve an A+ from audiences, after The Avengers.
For Duke and Time Warner, as long as the mainstream audience bought in, everything else could be set aside.
The box office of Toy Story 3 perfectly reflected this. Midnight show earnings were only $8.8 million, but as an animated feature, this set a new record for a North American animated film's midnight box office!
By Friday daytime, Toy Story 3 opened in 4,028 theaters across North America on over 8,200 screens. Though the film had already premiered overseas, it did not dampen enthusiasm in the U.S., and the strong word-of-mouth amplified the box office even further.
On opening day, the film earned $48.15 million in North America, breaking the North American opening record for an animated feature previously held by Pixar. Even globally, this was a nearly unattainable achievement for an animated film in a single market.
At the same time, Jonah Hex, opening alongside Toy Story 3, became a tragedy. Sony Columbia's blockbuster earned only about $2 million in North America on Friday—a nightmare for the studio's producers. The D- audience rating, combined with poor reviews, even prompted famed Hollywood producer Josh Brolin, known for working on quality films, to abandon hope.
In contrast, Toy Story 3 received overwhelming praise. Fans shared their thoughts on Twitter and Instant Share.
"As the conclusion of the Toy Story trilogy, the film arranged a stirring ending for Andy and the toys. Toys for children represent not just fun and emotional dependence, but an indelible life landmark along the long journey of life."
"Perhaps we can't experience the dramatic separations and reunions with toys like Andy, but the film reminds us of the toys that accompanied us through lonely childhoods. For most, we may never have a chance like Andy did. Whether their unknown fate resonates with your heart through Toy Story 3 tests your childhood innocence and sentimentality."
"The dialogue between Andy and little Bonnie actually symbolizes the passing and continuation of childhood. When Andy passionately introduces each toy that accompanied him through unforgettable childhood moments, the resulting shock and wistfulness rival the opening ten minutes of Up, expressed even more genuinely and naturally. Just the last twenty minutes of Toy Story 3 are enough to make the film immortal—this is the true value of Pixar animation."
For those who watched the first Toy Story, this film carries as much significance as the live-action Transformers films do for die-hard fans.
"I watched Toy Story in third grade, and Toy Story 3 after graduating college… I want to say this is a gift from Pixar Studios to our generation. Farewell, my childhood! Thank you, Woody! Thank you, Buzz Lightyear! Thank you, Pixar Studios!"
"The touching part of Toy Story 3 is that it gives us old-timers a formal chance to say goodbye to childhood. When college-bound Andy lifts Woody again, seventeen years pass gently and amicably, fading into the sunset beyond the wooden fence house."
"Finally, when Andy counts his toys, it makes me realize I have grown up and can never return to the past with my toys. Toy Story has left an imprint on me since childhood—making me feel that toys are little sentient beings with emotions in dimensions unknown to us. Compared to real life, toys bring less pressure; they don't die, as long as they aren't abandoned. So never abandon them…"
Amidst overwhelming acclaim, Toy Story 3 successfully completed its first weekend.
Friday brought in $41.14 million; Saturday dipped slightly, yet still earned $37.09 million; by Sunday, the decline widened further, but $32.06 million was still an impressive result.
In just the first three days, Toy Story 3's North American box office reached $110.3 million!
As an animated feature with a relatively long theatrical shelf life, such a first-weekend performance almost guaranteed that Toy Story 3 would be a blockbuster hit.
Overseas, Toy Story 3 performed well in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and even Latin America. However, in the Far East, due to character designs and its typically Western themes, among other factors, it experienced a certain degree of lukewarm reception.
Particularly in China, where The Avengers had already grossed over RMB 1.598 billion, Toy Story 3 received a tepid response. During the first three days, it earned less than RMB 40 million.
Of course, this was not solely due to Toy Story 3 itself. China's animated film market had not yet fully developed, and films that performed well there were not all-ages animated features, but rather films specifically made for children around ten years old or younger.
Nevertheless, even with a lukewarm reception in the Far East, Toy Story 3's first-weekend overseas box office still exceeded $200 million, bringing its global total to $328.99 million!
This was already a result worthy of a celebration for Duke, Time Warner, and Pixar Studios.
As the box office for The Avengers, a fast-consumption theatrical product, began to plateau, Toy Story 3 once again propelled Warner's box office revenue surge.
As July slowly approached, Toy Story 3's North American cumulative box office reached over $297 million, with the three-hundred-million-dollar mark in North America nearly within reach.
Meanwhile, the global box office hit $624.71 million!
At this point, no one doubted that Toy Story 3's North American box office could surpass $400 million, or that its global box office could exceed $1 billion!
The finale of the Toy Story series was destined to create an animated feature legend.
At the same time, the heat surrounding The Avengers was continuously declining. By now, although the number of theaters still exceeded 4,000, its screen share had dropped below thirty percent, and daily box office earnings had fallen to the million-dollar level.
However, by the end of June, The Avengers had set the record for the fastest North American film to reach $600 million.
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