Why Lightyear's Box Office Is So Disappointing

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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Lightyear

Toy Story spin-off Lightyear was expected by many observers to continue the iconic franchise's financial success, yet the movie has been an undoubted disappointment at the box office. The film failed to replace Jurassic World Dominion as the number one movie in the US over its debut weekend, to the surprise of many observers. Naturally, this raises several questions about the viability of both the Buzz Lightyear character and wider Toy Story saga moving forwards.

Lightyear represents a radical departure from the tried and tested Toy Story formula. The opening explains that the movie was actually a favorite of previous franchise character and toy owner Andy Davis and served as the inspiration for the Tim Allen-voiced Buzz toy that features in the original four films. Lightyear's narrative, by contrast, revolves around a complex time-travel motif, seeing a new Chris Evans-voiced Buzz trapped on a remote colony, testing out time-altering rocket fuel and combating his arch-nemesis Emperor Zurg.

Related: Chris Evans More Than Justifies Pixar's Buzz Lightyear Recasting

Since his inception, Buzz Lightyear has been one of Pixar's most iconic and enduring characters. Given this reputation, it's understandable that the studio had high hopes for a film focused on his story, away from the other key Toy Story players. However, it seems that this new approach may actually be behind the movie's relative failure to impress. Removing Buzz from his familiar surroundings – as well as updating and replacing key aspects of the character – seems to have put potential viewers off. This, coupled with narrative retcons and an absence of other classic characters seems to have contributed to Lightyear's