Pixar’s Toy Story 5 opens in theaters on Thursday, June 19, 2026, with an original song written and performed by Taylor Swift, setting up what box office analysts project will be one of the biggest animated openings in franchise history.
Swift released the song, titled “I Knew It, I Knew You,” on June 5. She wrote and produced it with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. Within 24 hours, the track broke streaming records on major platforms globally, drawing both Swifties and existing Toy Story fans into the film’s orbit before its release.
Analysts are projecting a $150 million domestic opening weekend, which would break the Toy Story franchise record and rank among the largest animated debuts of any year. The combination of the Pixar brand, a returning story universe, and Swift’s involvement has generated an unusual level of pre-release anticipation.
Swift performed the song at the film’s premiere, marking one of her few live performances outside of her own tours in recent years. Footage from the premiere circulated widely, adding another wave of attention to the project in its final days before release.
The film continues the story of Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toy ensemble, though plot details have been kept mostly under wraps ahead of release. Pixar has maintained a strict embargo on reviews, which lifted earlier this week to generally positive notices from critics.
Swift’s involvement in the project was announced earlier this year and was the subject of significant speculation before the song title was confirmed. The pairing of her voice and songwriting sensibility with Pixar’s visual storytelling drew immediate comparisons to the long tradition of pop stars contributing to animated soundtracks, but the scale of Swift’s current cultural footprint made this case different.
The film arrives during a strong summer for cinema, with the Michael Jackson biopic still in theaters having crossed $911 million globally and Spielberg’s Disclosure Day opening to $92.8 million worldwide last weekend. The combination of franchise animation, original IP, and the World Cup providing a sports backdrop makes June 2026 one of the more competitive entertainment months in years.
Toy Story 4, released in 2019, earned $434 million in the United States alone. Toy Story 5 faces the challenge of maintaining franchise loyalty while introducing new story elements to an audience that has grown older alongside the original characters. Early tracking suggests that challenge has been met, at least in terms of audience interest going into opening weekend.
Disney and Pixar are expected to confirm the opening weekend total by Sunday, June 22. If the $150 million projection holds, it would give Swift a historic commercial result to add to an already extraordinary run in popular music. Read more entertainment news in our celebrity section.
