The toys are back in town yet again this weekend, as Disney/Pixar’s classic toy box of characters will be chasing down adventure once again. Judging by Toy Story 5’s enthusiastic reactions, the fourth cinematic entry in this flagship saga could yield a massive box office haul.
However, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and the gang are already the subject of a Rotten Tomatoes franchise stat that feels absolutely wild on its own. However, comparing this mythic achievement to some other, larger series, it says something interesting about the current state of the movie industry.
The Toy Story Franchise’s Rotten Tomatoes Scores Are Insane
For as much as you hear people complain about whether or not anything past Toy Story 3 should exist, what can’t be denied is that people still love the movies. You can see that in the stats over at Rotten Tomatoes, as looking at all five of the critical appreciation scores presents you with this sterling roster:
- Toy Story (1995) – 100%
- Toy Story 2 (1999) – 100%
- Toy Story 3 (2010) – 98%
- Toy Story 4 (2019) – 97%
- Toy Story 5 (2026) – 93%
For as much as people love to complain about Toy Story 4, it’s impressive that it actually outranks the current buzz attracted by its successor. That could change any day though.
Admittedly it’s a bit early to stop the count on Tim Allen and Tom Hanks’ latest reprise of their iconic roles. There’s still time for other notices that may or may not be as complimentary as our own Toy Story 5 review to be entered into Rotten Tomatoes’ basket. For all we know, those numbers will grow after this weekend – skewing the series average even higher.
That reality leads to our next point of interest worth discussing though, as Toy Story’s success is even crazier when you compare and contrast its score average to some of the hottest competition at the movies.
Toy Story’s Rotten Tomatoes Average Far Outpaces Other, Bigger Franchises
So far, just over 30 years and five movies make up the current state of this Disney/Pixar landmark’s cinematic run. Looking at a franchise that hasn’t slipped under 90% for any of its entries is pretty bonkers, particularly in this context. However, as you’ll see in the comparisons below, not even the highest grossing movie franchise of all time can outdo this feat:
- Toy Story (1995) – 5 movies – 97.40%
- John Wick (2014) – 5 movies – 86.6%
- The Wizarding World / Harry Potter (2001) – 11 movies – 75.45%
- The Middle-earth Saga / Lord of the Rings (2001) – 7 movies – 75.29%
- Star Wars (1977) – 13 movies – 71.69%
- Jurassic Park/World (1993) – 7 movies – 56.29%
Much like with Toy Story 5’s Rotten Tomatoes score, the numbers above will definitely change over time. At the moment we’re anticipating both Donnie Yen’s John Wick spinoff Caine, as well as The Lord of the Rings midquel The Hunt for Gollum for 2027 releases. Keeping that in mind can only do so much though, as Pixar’s batting average across five pictures feels like it will be hard to top without a miracle.
“Quality versus quantity” is a virtue that should always be present when crafting a potential long-running series. Seeing Toy Story succeed in that respect is comforting, more so when discussing a world where cinematic universes, reboots, and sequels are running rampant.
We’ll see how things shake out after this weekend’s potentially massive debut of Toy Story 5, which will run in early screenings starting this Thursday. As for those of you looking for all of the latest and greatest in pop culture developments, head over to THS Movie News and rummage through our toy box of knowledge!
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