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Gay Kiss-Included Woke ‘Toy Story’ Spinoff ‘Lightyear’ Struggles At Box Office

   DailyWire.com
Chris Evans and Keke Palmer attend the UK Premiere of Disney Pixars' "Lightyear" on June 13, 2022 in London, England.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures UK

The latest “Toy Story” spinoff, “Lightyear,” struggled at the box office this weekend, following criticism over a gay kiss included in the kids movie.

The flick brought in a total of $51 million in its three day opening, bringing in $20.7 million on Friday, then dropping off to $16.3 million on Saturday, and bringing in another anemic $14 million on Sunday.

“What the hell happened here?” Deadline queried, not once bringing up the film’s same-sex kiss controversy.

Instead, Deadline suggested the movie came out too soon in the franchise, writing, “this could be a case of going to the Toy Story well too soon, too fast.”

Cultural critic John Nolte at Breitbart dissed the suggestion and emphasized just “how bad” the opening really was.

“Marvel releases two and three movies a year. You mean like that going to the well too soon?” Nolte mocked“The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit came out every year. You mean like that going to the well too soon?” 

“Well, three years ago, Toy Story 4 opened to $121 million. If these figures hold, Lightyear won’t do HALF that,” he wrote.”

“Another thing to keep in mind is that there’s no competition,” Nolte added. “The only kiddie movie still in theaters is The Bad Guys, which opened all the way back in April. After the resounding success of Toy Story 4 and with a wide-open field at the box office, especially during the summer, especially over Father’s Day, there was never a better time to open Lightyear.”

Disney/Pixar notably reinstated a same-sex kiss between two female characters, Alisha and her wife, following Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which bans classroom discussion on anything related to sexuality and gender to children in third-grade and younger.

Actor Chris Evans, who voices the movie’s main character, slammed critics who don’t approve of the gay kiss in the kids’ film.

“The real truth is, those people are idiots,” Evans told Reuters, slamming critics of the kiss. “Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human story is one of constant social awakening and growth and that’s what makes us good.”

Evans similarly gushed over the gay kiss in an interview with Variety on Monday.

“Disney put a line in the sand saying, we’re putting this back in, but also, we’re not going to remove it for any other territories, in these places that would have a problem with it,” a Variety reporter said. “What did you make of the company making that decision?”

“I mean, it’s great,” the actor responded. “As great as it is — and you know, I’ve been asked the question a few times — it’s nice, and it’s wonderful, it makes me happy.”

“It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion,” Evans continued. “That it is this kind of ‘news.’ The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn’t have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is. That representation across the board is how we make films.”

“Look, it’s an honor to be a part of something that is taking those steps, but the goal is to look back on this time and just be shocked that it took us this long to get there,” the “Captain America” star added.

(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has announced plans for kids’ entertainment content.)

Related: Actress Slams Disney For Replacing Tim Allen With Chris Evans In ‘LightYear,’ Asks Why They Would ‘Completely Castrate This Iconic’ ‘Character’

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