It was easy to figure out this week’s big movie (ahem) buzz. Toy Story 3, the newest installment in Pixar’s timeless franchise, collected an estimated $109 million this weekend—enough cash to buy everyone in New York City a Barbie doll. It was Pixar’s biggest opening ever and, if the estimates hold, it’ll rank as the 10th largest debut of all time—helped, of course, by inflated ticket prices and the fact that 60% of its sales came from pricier 3-D screenings. It more than tripled the take of the weekend’s second-place finisher (The Karate Kid, holding steady after a stellar performance the week before).
But Toy Story 3 didn’t just make good at the box office. It’s just plain good. Plugged In‘s Bob Hoose added his own love to a wave of critical acclaim (the film has, as of now, a 98% approval rating on the movie review aggregate rottentomatoes.com), and audiences gave TS3 an A, according to CinemaScore. I haven’t seen the film myself yet, but I’ve already been warned to bring a hanky or two.
Now, I’ve been known to give some Pixar love on this very blog, but I have to make a confession: I wasn’t so sure if I was going to make a special trip to see TS3. I’m always a little leery of the third chapter in a long-running franchise, and I worried a bit that this threequel might’ve leaned closer to money-making vehicle than a superlative story.
Well, it looks like I was just being a big ol’ curmudgeon. There are those who say that TS3 is the best of the entire series—and maybe Pixar’s greatest movie ever. Pretty high praise. Did you see Toy Story 3? Does it go to infinity and beyond?
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