10 Movie Franchises That Died In 2022
7. Lightyear
Perhaps the single most shocking box office bomb of 2022 was Lightyear, which seemed like a slam-dunk proposition in theory. How could an animated Buzz Lightyear spin-off possibly fail given the immense popularity of the Toy Story series?
Well, a few things didn't help. Firstly, rather than simply being a Buzz movie, Lightyear was actually trying to be a little cuter than that, framed as the sci-fi animated film on which the Buzz Lightyear toy is based, and which Toy Story's Andy watched as a child.
This idea was poorly conveyed through the film's marketing, and many decried the absence of original Buzz voice actor Tim Allen in favour of Chris Evans.
Then there's the deeply silly controversy about the movie's gay kiss, which likely did nothing to help its box office figures in more bigoted markets, as well as audiences now being used to watching Pixar movies on Disney+.
With a $200 million budget and heavy reliance on international grosses, Lightyear needed around $500 million to be a hit, which seemed totally reasonable given the Toy Story series' clout.
But the film ultimately made just $226.4 million globally, an astonishingly low figure which immediately killed plans for a sequel, given Pixar's clear hope for Lightyear to become its own extension of the Toy Story "universe."