This past weekend, my family did and apparently we weren't the only ones…Toy Story 5 just had the biggest opening weekend of 2026… Worldwide, it pulled in $312 million in three days. Thats nostalgic elder millennials out to relive their childhood, taking their kids, inviting their coworkers and pre K friends…
So here's my theory: Toy Story 5 is curing the loneliness pandemic. We spent 90 minutes watching a screen tell us a story about the effects of screens. BUT The movie isn't anti-technology. It’s CONNECTION is still the thing we're all chasing, even when we don't realize it. A scrolling feed full of likes, although it fees like temporary connection, will never replace someone sitting next to you, laughing at the same joke, in the same room, at the same time.
And that's exactly what happened in theaters across the country this weekend. People who hadn't set foot in a theater in years showed up because the story promised something worth showing up for. We didn't just watch Woody and Buzz wrestle with being needed less. We got to be together, fully present, for the first time in a while for some of us.
So thank you, Toy Story 5. Thank you for the record-breaking weekend, the extra butter popcorn, the nostalgia, and mostly thank you for getting us back in a room together.
XoXo
Britt
