Michael Keaton's Oscar-Nominated Classic Hits Huge Box Office Milestone 20 Years Later

Credit: Faye's Vision/Cover Images Published Sep 6, 2026, 11:48 AM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Cars has raced past a major box office milestone 20 years after its original release. 2006's Cars, an animated classic that was the seventh movie ever put out by Pixar, takes place in a world populated by anthropomorphic vehicles and features a star-studded voice cast that includes Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Tony Shalhoub, Cheech Marin, Paul Newman, and Michael Keaton. It was a massive hit, grossing $462 million to become the sixth highest-grossing movie of the year worldwide (and the second highest-grossing animated movie, behind Ice Age 2: The Meltdown) and going on to be nominated for two Oscars (for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song). Pixar · Personality Profile Which Pixar Character Are You? 🤠 Woody The Loyal Leader 🐠 Dory The Free Spirit ⭐ Joy The Optimist START THE ADVENTURE → 01 It’s a free Saturday with no plans. What are you doing? AOrganizing a group hangout — someone’s gotta make sure everyone has a good time BWandering somewhere new — who knows what I’ll find! CMaking the most of every second — crafts, games, activities, GO! NEXT → 02 Your best friend calls you in a panic — they’re lost and don’t know what to do. How do you react? A“Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out! Think positive!” B“Stay put. I’m coming to get you. Nobody gets left behind.” C“Ooh, where are you? That sounds like an adventure!” NEXT → 03 On a road trip with friends, what’s your role? AThe one who missed the exit three times but found an amazing roadside diner BDJ, hype person, and snack distributor — this trip WILL be legendary CThe navigator with the itinerary — I planned rest stops and everything NEXT → 04 Two of your friends are fighting. What do you do? AStep in and mediate — I can’t stand seeing people I care about upset BAccidentally say something so random it defuses the whole situation CTry to cheer everyone up — group hug solves everything, right? NEXT → 05 What does your ideal life look like? AEvery single day filled with fun, laughter, and new experiences BGoing wherever the current takes me — no plans, just vibes CSurrounded by people who count on me — being needed is everything NEXT → 06 Be honest — what’s your biggest flaw? AI get distracted by literally everything — wait, what were we talking about? BI can be a little controlling — I just want things to go right! CI sometimes ignore the hard feelings because I just want everyone happy NEXT → 07 Someone you love is feeling down. How do you help? ARemind them of all the amazing things about their life until they smile BSit with them, listen, and promise I’m not going anywhere CDrag them on a spontaneous adventure to take their mind off things NEXT → 08 How do you handle big, unexpected changes in your life? AChange? What change? Oh look, something shiny! BI find the silver lining immediately — change means new possibilities! CI make a plan and try to keep everyone together through it NEXT → 09 What are you most afraid of? AThat the people I care about might not be happy BBeing replaced or forgotten by the people I love CI honestly can’t remember what I was afraid of… NEXT → 10 What would your friends say is the best thing about you? AI’d do anything for them — loyalty is everything to me BI make life more fun just by showing up CI help them see the bright side, even on their worst days REVEAL MY CHARACTER → Profile Complete Your Pixar Alter Ego 🤠 Woody “You’re my favorite deputy.” You’re the one everyone turns to when things fall apart. Loyal to a fault, you’d cross the ocean — or a busy highway — for the people you love. You take responsibility seriously, sometimes too seriously, and you struggle to let go of control. But when it matters, nobody steps up like you do. You’re the steady hand, the voice of reason, and the friend who never, ever leaves someone behind.Loyal Protective Dependable Selfless 🐠 Dory “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…” You live entirely in the present moment, and honestly? It’s kind of beautiful. You might forget the plan — or that there ever was a plan — but your open heart and fearless curiosity have a way of leading you exactly where you need to be. People underestimate you, but your resilience is unmatched. You find friends in the strangest places, and your optimism is genuinely contagious.Adventurous Resilient Open-Hearted Spontaneous ⭐ Joy “Do you ever look at someone and wonder — what is going on inside their head?” You are a radiant force of positivity who makes everyone around you feel like the best version of themselves. You throw yourself into making things wonderful — every moment is a chance for something magical. Your weakness? Sometimes you push so hard for happiness that you forget it’s okay to not be okay. But when you learn to embrace all the feelings, you become truly unstoppable.Energetic Inspiring Passionate Empathetic ↻ PLAY AGAIN p Per The Numbers, as of Sunday morning, the 20th anniversary re-release of Cars is projected to spend Labor Day weekend earning a total of $6.1 million over the traditional 3-day frame at the domestic box office. This will push the movie's cumulative domestic total to $250.2 million, allowing it to finally pass the $250 million domestic milestone two decades after its original premiere. It is set to officially become the 13th Pixar movie (out of 31) to ever pass the $250 million milestone in North America, outdoing the domestic totals of a number of major hits, including Toy Story 2 ($245.8 million domestic, $511.3 million worldwide), Coco ($210.5 million domestic, $814.6 million worldwide), Ratatouille ($206.4 million domestic, $623.7 million worldwide), and WALL-E ($223.8 million domestic, $521.3 million worldwide). Cars is sailing past the all-time domestic totals of Raiders of the Lost Ark ($248.1 million) and 2016's Moana ($248.7 million) to become the 173rd movie in history to ever pass the $250 million domestic milestone. It has been preceded past that benchmark by seven 2026 releases, namely Spider-Man: Brand New Day (which is projected to end the weekend with $923.1 million domestic), The Odyssey ($584.8 million), Pixar's Toy Story 5 ($479.1 million), The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($429.8 million), Michael ($372.3 million), Project Hail Mary ($344 million), and Obsession ($263.4 million). Toy Story 5 has earned $1.136 billion worldwide and is currently the third highest-grossing Pixar movie of all time. While the re-release of Cars is set to run for at least another week, it is unlikely that its sophomore weekend will add much to its total. Re-releases are fan-forward, which means that ticket buyers mainly prioritize the first weekend of release. Because of that, they are usually front-loaded and have significant drops during their sophomore weekends. Ultimately, it seems unlikely that this strong performance (the re-release debuted at No. 6 at the domestic box office, above the new releases Onslaught and Fall 2: Deadpoint) will result in Cars climbing any higher up Pixar's chart of their highest-grossing movies of all time worldwide. It is currently No. 20 behind 2023's Elemental. That sleeper hit grossed $496.4 million worldwide, so Cars would need to climb more than $25 million after this weekend in order to close the gap between the two movies. Regardless, this re-release cements Cars' status as a major hit. The movie reportedly cost a pricy $120 million, which may have placed its estimated break-even point as high as $300 million. However, it has now nearly reached that total at the domestic box office alone. This re-release is just the cherry on top of a run that includes a successful theatrical premiere, physical media sales, and streaming revenue. Enjoy ScreenRant's box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check "Box Office" in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more: Sign Up Release Date June 9, 2006 Runtime 117 minutes Director John Lasseter Cast Lightning McQueen (voice) Writers Joe Ranft, Jorgen Klubien, Dan Fogelman, Kiel Murray, John Lasseter, Phil Lorin Producers Darla K. Anderson Main Genre Animation