‘Lightyear’ Director Lashes Out at Fans Following Box Office Failures

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Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear

Credit: Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios

Disney Pixar’s Lightyear didn’t have the run that many thought it would at the box office.

Lightyear (2022) was expected by many to be a top box office attraction when it came time for the film to hit theaters and, instead, the film fell quite short of those calculations.

Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear
Credit: Pixar Animation / Disney

While the numbers for Lightyear were not bad– launching to around $50 million domestically on its opening weekend and has since come close to $200 million worldwide– they were not nearly what anyone was expecting for a film that was marketed as a prequel to the beloved Toy Story franchise with a budget of more than $200 million.

However, Lightyear‘s box office woes were made worse by the incredible run by Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022). The Universal Pictures and Illumination Studios film topped $128 million in its first weekend, albeit a holiday weekend, and has been one of the most talked-about films of the summer.

Gru and Minions
Credit: Universal Studios

The Disney Pixar film was met with much controversy following a same-sex kiss that caused many theaters worldwide to ban the movie altogether. In addition, many Disney fans were upset with the casting decision to replace Tim Allen as the voice of Buzz Lightyear with Marvel star Chris Evans. Of course, this was explained that the film is about the “real man” and Space Ranger who inspired the toy Buzz Lightyear, and not the actual toy.

Still, it hasn’t stopped criticism from being present all over social media.

Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear
Credit: Pixar

Lightyear Director Angus MacLane has recently been involved in discussions on social media regarding the film and has spoken out in defense of the Disney Pixar movie.

He said that he “doesn’t get the outrage” and that life is too short to be upset about a science-fiction movie when there are only a couple released each year.

I don’t get it, but whatever. Folks seem pretty steamed about the film. We only get 1-2 big science fiction movies a year. The supply is too low to get too upset about them. Life is too short

Another user who saw the film said they didn’t understand why the film was rated so lowly. MacLane responded by saying “it mainly has to do with trolls.

Short answer: much like the second chapter of THE HOBBIT, it mainly has to do with trolls

In another Tweet, MacLane took a dig at those who may be giving poor ratings to Lightyear without seeing the film.

Just had a look at the numbers. The ratings for LIGHTYEAR are *significantly* higher from people who have seen the film, than from people who have not

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Lightyear received a 75% critical score with the consensus reading: “Lightyear settles for being a rather conventional origin story instead of reaching for the stars, but this gorgeously animated adventure ably accomplishes its mission of straightforward fun.”

Lightyear received an 85% audience score with the consensus reading: “Even if it doesn’t quite measure up to Toy Story, Lightyear offers an entertaining — although somewhat complicated — origin story for the beloved title character.”

Have you seen Lightyear? What are your thoughts on the film? 

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