There must have been a lot of clinking of glasses at Disney at the end of last week, when they realised that over the weekend Toy Story 3 would pass the $1 billion box office mark worldwide, making it only the sixth film to do so.
It's an even more impressive achievement, as it means the House Of Mouse has become the first studio ever to have two billion dollar movies in a single year, with Alice In Wonderland also reaching eight figures in the spring. Toy Story 3 now stands at $1.012 billion, just ahead of The Dark Knight and just behind Alice, and with the money still rolling in, it's likely to move further up the all-time list before it completes its cinema run. It currently stands at number 6.
It's an impressive achievment for a film many were moaning that Pixar was even making, feeling it was a betrayal of their previous aversion to sequels. However that rumbling was slienced when people actually saw the film. Since then it's been almost universally acclaimed, attracting audiences from all age groups, and getting lots of repeat business.
Inceidentally, in Britain it's now Disney's most successful movie ever and the fourth biggest grosser in movie history, contributing more than $100 million to the film's total, so we're certainly doing our part on Toy Story 3's success.