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'Finding Nemo' is company's current record holder.By Eric Ditzian Buzz Lightyear and Woody in "Toy Story 3" Photo: Disney/Pixar "Toy Story 3" is already a record-breaker for Pixar. The third installment of the adventures of Woody and his playtime buddies opened with the animation house's biggest opening weekend, its $110.3 million besting "The Incredibles" by almost $40 million. Inflation and 3-D ticket prices notwithstanding, "Toy Story 3" has blown past its original incarnation in just two full weekends and figures to ascend to the upper tier of Pixar releases by next weekend So where will "Toy Story 3" end up in the Pixar ranks when its theatrical run comes to a close? The company's current record holder is "Finding Nemo," which netted $339.7 million in 2003 without the benefit of premium ticket prices. As things at the cinema stand now, though, those CGI fishies are about to lose their top Pixar spot to some 3-D toys. " 'Toy Story 3' will have no problems at all surpassing 'Finding Nemo' to become Pixar's top-grossing film ever," said Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. "[It] might even join the list of top 10 global blockbusters of all time." For that to happen, "Toy Story 3" would need to cross the $400 million threshold, and to reach such a lofty goal, the movie will have to continue to attract repeat viewers. This week, two films that could eat into the "Toy Story" audience — "Eclipse" and "The Last Airbender" — arrive on the scene. "Eclipse" drops on Wednesday and should easily dominate the box office. The next day, "The Last Airbender," which is based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series, opens across North America. With kids and their parents headed off to take in these fresh films, will repeat viewership for "Toy Story" plunge? "The only thing standing in the way of 'Toy Story' becoming the biggest film of the summer is 'Eclipse,' " said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "These bloodsuckers have serious box-office bite. To say the sequel expanded the brand after the original is an understatement. The real question is: has this series hit a tipping point? Usually, by the third film in a franchise, grosses diminish exponentially. Not so with fanatical franchises like 'Harry Potter,' 'Star Wars,' and 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Twilight.' They don't follow traditional box-office patterns. But that said, I do believe the fanbase has hit its glass ceiling, and that the threequel will perform very similarly to the sequel." That would put "Eclipse" at slightly under the $300 million mark, whereas "Toy Story" could top that by as much as $100 million. Now lest you think "Toy Story 3" is simply benefiting from pricey 3-D tickets, note the case of 2009's "Up." That critically lauded Oscar nominee, presented in three dimensions (albeit before the current "Avatar"-induced 3-D craze), still could not unseat "Nemo." For "Toy Story 3" to have such a good chance of becoming Pixar's #1 speaks not only to ticket prices but to the appeal of the film itself, which many have suggested is the best in the three-picture series. " 'Toy Story 3' has captured the magic of Pixar in a blockbuster sequel — a potent combination," Bock said. "And let's not forget the ancillary merchandizing markets that have toy aisles abuzz and practically barren. No one can touch that type of overall domination." Yet despite its popularity, the movie might not sell as many tickets as "Nemo." Still, we count dollars, not tickets, and when it comes to the former, "Toy Story" is going to pull in record-breaking numbers. "With James Cameron not having a film this year, Woody and pals may even be the box-office champs of 2010," said Pandya. Check out everything we've got on "Toy Story 3." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Photos "Toy Story 3"

Pixar's third adventure, now in 3-D, is 'a near-perfect piece of popular entertainment,' one critic writes of Woody, Buzz and the gang.By Eric Ditzian Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear and Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story 3" Photo: Disney/Pixar Pixar has done pretty well for itself over the last 15 years. The studio has yet to release a film that failed to hit the $360 million mark. "Finding Nemo," the company's top box-office earner, ended its theatrical run with $868 million in ticket sales. Pixar's most recent offering, "Up," didn't fair too badly either, soaring to a $723 million gross last year. Given such financial triumphs, the anticipated box-office performance of "Toy Story 3," which arrived on Friday (June 18), is nothing short of staggering. Early tracking and pre-sales suggest the third adventure of Woody and his pals will enjoy Pixar's biggest opening ever, raking in as much as $100 million over the weekend. Thanks, premium 3-D ticket prices! Yet B.O. bucks aside, the question remains: Is the flick any good? Is this third installment of the franchise — which finds Woody, Buzz and the gang are stranded at a wacky day care center, where they struggle to find Andy, their longtime owner, before he heads off to college — worth your hard-earned cash? The answer, according to critics, is a resounding, "Yes!" " 'Toy Story 3' is as sweet, as touching, as humane a movie as you are likely to see this summer, and yet it is all about doodads stamped and molded out of plastic and polyester," wrote A.O. Scott of The New York Times. "Therein lies its genius, and its uncanny authenticity. A tale that captured the romance and pathos of the consumer economy, the sorrows and pleasures that dwell at the heart of our materialist way of life, could only be told from the standpoint of the commodities themselves, those accretions of synthetic substance and alienated labor we somehow endow with souls." That's some high praise, and Scott is not alone. Some reviewers are even convinced that "Toy Story 3" is Pixar's finest recent effort, better even than "Up," which nabbed a Best Picture Oscar nomination. " 'Toy Story 3' is a better film than 'Wall-E' and 'Up' in that it succeeds completely in conventional terms," the San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle said. "For 103 minutes, it never takes audience interest for granted. It has action, horror and vivid characters, and it always keeps moving forward." Speaking of those vivid characters, the film introduces us to some memorable new toys. "The movie has delirious fun with Big Baby, a damaged infant doll who's a rubbery, droopy-eyed zombie," wrote Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman. "And then there's Ken — yes, the Ken (voiced by Michael Keaton, having a ball), who's a different sort of zombie, a polyester-brained dandy who lives in a dollhouse and wishes that it were still hip to be square. Like every other toy in the film, he comes with his own hilariously specific mental universe." And what of the flick's CGI animation and 3-D effects? Everyone seems to agree that "Toy Story 3" looks stunning. "Pixar's animation skills have improved massively since 'Toy Story 2,' " Katey Rich wrote on CinemaBlend.com. "And the 3-D only enhances the rich texture of [pink plush bear] Lotso's fur or Ken's flashy clothes; the 'Toy Story' movies have always thrilled us by giving us a new perspective on our own world, and the 3-D adds to that immersion in all the little details only Woody or [toy dinosaur] Rex would see. The movie is heavy on action sequences and executes each flawlessly, providing the sense of space and high stakes that few live-action films ever accomplish. Director Lee Unkrich, inheriting duties from John Lasseter, has a crack sense of timing, and even when the story strays a little Unkrich moves the story forward persistently without ever seeming rushed." We'll give the final word to Dana Stevens of Slate: " 'Toy Story 3' is a near-perfect piece of popular entertainment, a children's classic that will be watched and loved when my daughter's (and one day, her daughter's) now-beloved toys are gathering dust in a basement. Sh-- — now I'm crying again." Check out everything we've got on "Toy Story 3." For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com. Related Photos "Toy Story 3"