Hollywoodâs summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the massive debut of Disney and Pixarâs âInside Out 2.â The animated sequel earned $155 million in ticket sales from 4,440 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Itâs the second-highest opening weekend in Pixarâs nearly 29 years of making films and the second-biggest animated opening ever (behind only the $182.7 million launch of âIncredibles 2â in 2018); Itâs also the biggest of 2024, which had not had any films debut over $100 million. With an estimated $140 million from international showings, âInside Out 2â had a staggering, and record-breaking, $295 million global debut.
The success is significant for Pixar, marking a much-needed return to form for a studio that has had a string of underwhelming launches including âElemental,â which did eventually become a success, and â Lightyear,â which didnât. Itâs also important for the greater Hollywood ecosystem and the health of theatrical exhibition, which had been running at a 26% deficit before this weekend. âInside Out 2â marks the biggest opening since âBarbieâ launched to $162 million last July.
âThis is a monumental weekend for movie theaters,â said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
Kelsey Mann directed âInside Out 2,â which picks up with Riley as she turns 13. That means the arrival of new emotions like Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Ennui (AdĂšle Exarchopoulos), Envy ( Ayo Edebiri ) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) to the mix. Amy Poehler once again lent her voice to Joy in a cast that includes Tony Hale, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith as Fear, Anger and Sadness, respectively. It got glowing reviews from both critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences who gave it an A CinemaScore, suggesting that this wonât be a first-weekend wonder either. With kids out of school and an open market until âDespicable Me 4â enters the ring over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, âInside Out 2â is just getting started.
The film is estimated to have cost $200 million to produce, which does not account for the millions spent on marketing. Going into the weekend, it was tracking for a debut in the $90 million range, which would have been in line with âInside Outâsâ first weekend in June 2019. Even that would have been considered a terrific achievement, and enough to claim the biggest opening of the year â finally unseating March releases like â Dune: Part Two â and â Godzilla x Kong.â
It got off to a huge start with $13 million from Thursday preview showings, which started at 3 p.m. As the only major release of the weekend, its theatrical footprint was equally impressive â playing on 400 IMAX screens, more than 900 âpremium large formatâ screens and over 2,500 3D screens.
âThe family audience still loves going to the movies,â Dergarabedian said. âAs an outside of the home experience, itâs still a relative bargain.â
This re-commitment to theatrical comes after Disney sent several Pixar films straight to its streaming service, Disney+, during the pandemic including âSoul,â âLucaâ and âTurning Red.â Last month, the New York Times reported that Pixar had decided to return its focus to feature films (and not producing shows for Disney+) and that it had laid off 14% of its workforce (about 175 employees).
âAs important as this weekend is for the industry at large, for Pixar this is huge. Theyâve been trying to get their groove back since the pandemic,â Dergarabedian said. âPixar had for decades one of the most impressive box office track records ever. Theyâve really come back big.â
Second place went to Sonyâs âBad Boys: Ride or Die,â now in its second weekend with $33 million, down only 42% from its opening. In just 12 days, itâs already earned more than $112 million domestically and $214 million globally. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had crossed the $1 billion mark.
âBad Boysââ success last weekend was the start of a higher-earning turnaround for the lagging summer movie season. For Hollywood, the summer season, which runs from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, usually represents about 40% of the yearly box office. The deficit is still significant, with ticket sales down 28% for the summer and 24% for the year (and this is still before âBarbenheimerâ), but itâs progress in a more promising direction nonetheless.
âWeâre not going to get there overnight,â Dergarabedian said. âBut itâs good news for theaters. And we have some big movies on the way.â
Bahr writes for the Associated Press.