31-Year-Old Franchise Officially Becomes the MCU’s Biggest Threat on Disney+ in 2026

Pixar’s oldest animated franchise has started to take over the place that the MCU ruled in the past. Toy Story 5 has officially topped the Disney+ charts, only five days after its streaming debut. According to The Walt Disney Company, the animated movie has crossed over 20 million views on the streamer after it was released on September 23, 2026. The franchise, which began in 1995, is still holding on to the top.

This officially poses trouble for the MCU, which has long been Disney+’s sure-shot franchise bringing in numbers. As the franchise gears up for its biggest release yet in December, Avengers: Doomsday, and has already released the highest-grossing movie of 2026 with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it might need to look at its streaming numbers and buck up.

Disney’s Toy Story 5 Topped the Box Office and Disney+ in 2026

A still from Toy Story 5 | Credits: Pixar

Andrew Stanton’s grand return to the director’s chair happened with this year’s Toy Story 5, which itself returned to theaters after seven years. The Toy Story franchise was Pixar’s most valued franchise, and the latest film became one of the most expensive animated films of all time, with a budget of $250 million. However, it has paid off well.

The latest sequel has grossed over $1.14 billion at the box office, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2026 (via The Numbers). It ranks below The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. With its $312 million global opening (via Variety), Toy Story 5 broke the record for the same in Pixar and the Toy Story franchise’s history.

Now, the film has become the top dog in streaming as well. Toy Story 5 ranked on top of the charts for the week with its 20 million views in five days on Disney+. These are incredible numbers for the franchise, which was already one of the streamer’s highest-performing franchises. The first Toy Story film has racked up more than 2 billion streaming hours, as claimed by The Walt Disney Company in the same report.

However, the fifth installment of the franchise still trails behind the records set by Disney’s biggest animated juggernauts. For instance, Pixar’s Inside Out 2, the record-breaking animated blockbuster, clocked in 30.5 million streams on Disney+ within the first five days. On the other hand, Zootopia 2 clocked 32 million views globally within the first seven days of release (via Deadline).

MCU’s Last Disney+ Movie Release Opened Historically Low

A still from The Fantastic Four: First Steps | Credits: Marvel Studios

The rise of Pixar’s films on Disney+ poses a significant threat to another streamer exclusive, the MCU. Marvel films were once the savior of the streamer, with its original shows and movies bringing in huge numbers. However, now, the franchise seems to be in a major dip, especially compared to the performance of the Toy Story franchise.

The last MCU movie release on Disney+, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, opened at a historically low level on the streamer. According to Nielsen, the film only racked up 4.9 million views in the first five days of its premiere on Disney+. This was concerning, as there was a downward trend in the franchise’s viewing numbers on the streamer.

Even Daredevil: Born Again season 2 reportedly saw a viewership drop of approximately 50% from its first season, which is, again, quite alarming (via ComicBook). These numbers are probably why the show will be ending after an 8-episode season 3. There can be many reasons for the drop. One could be fatigue from viewers and the franchise’s quality also dipping in the past few years.

With the MCU seeing its biggest release coming this December, Avengers: Doomsday, these numbers are concerning. The film has been speculated to do incredibly well at the box office, but if it does not do well on streaming too, it might spell trouble for some of the streaming-focused content the MCU has been putting out. We already saw Wonder Man being canceled.

Why do you think the MCU is lagging behind the Toy Story franchise? Comment below.