Hollywood鈥檚 summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the massive debut of Disney and Pixar鈥檚 鈥� Inside Out 2.鈥� The animated sequel earned $155 million in ticket sales from 4,440 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Not only is it the second-highest opening weekend in Pixar鈥檚 29 years of making films and the second-biggest animated opening ever (behind only the $182.7 million launch of 鈥淚ncredibles 2鈥� in 2018); It鈥檚 also the biggest of 2024, and since 鈥淏arbie.鈥� With an estimated $140 million from international showings, 鈥淚nside Out 2鈥� had a staggering, and record-breaking, $295 million global start.
Tony Chambers, who heads theatrical distribution for Disney, was confident that the film would do 鈥渆xtremely well.鈥� But even he was surprised at how much it exceeded already high expectations.
鈥淧eople go to the theaters for great movies,鈥� Chambers said. 鈥淭he reviews, the word of mouth just helped build this momentum 鈥� It鈥檚 becoming a bit of a phenomenon.鈥�
Importantly, 鈥淚nside Out 2鈥� audiences spanned ages and all demographics. Post-COVID, he said, breakout successes depend on attracting multicultural audiences.
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 鈥� Elemental,鈥� which did eventually become a success, and 鈥� Lightyear,鈥� which didn鈥檛. It鈥檚 also vitally important for the greater Hollywood ecosystem and the health of theatrical exhibition, which had been running at a 26% deficit.
鈥淓verybody needed this because success begets success,鈥� said Chambers, who has been getting excited calls from exhibitors and fellow studios alike. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great for the industry, great for Pixar and great for the business overall.鈥�
Disney was already having a good summer, with 鈥淜ingdom of the Planet of the Apes,鈥� which this weekend was in third place in its sixth weekend with $5.2 million (bringing its global total to $374.5 million). And next up is 鈥� Deadpool & Wolverine 鈥� (July 26).
Kelsey Mann directed 鈥淚nside Out 2,鈥� which picks up with Riley as she turns 13. That means the arrival of new emotions like Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and Envy ( Ayo Edebiri ) to Joy鈥檚 (Amy Poehler) party. It got glowing reviews from critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and polled audiences who gave it an A CinemaScore, suggesting that this won鈥檛 be a first-weekend wonder. With kids out of school and an open market until 鈥淒espicable Me 4鈥� enters the ring over the Fourth of July, 鈥淚nside Out 2鈥� is just getting started.
鈥淭his is a monumental weekend for movie theaters,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
鈥淚nside Out 2鈥� is estimated to have cost around $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 鈥淚nside Out鈥檚鈥� first weekend in June 2015. Even that would have been considered a terrific achievement, and enough to claim the biggest opening of the year 鈥� finally unseating March releases like 鈥� Dune: Part Two 鈥� and 鈥� Godzilla x Kong.鈥�
鈥淔or the entire industry that works for theatrical, this is a huge turning point for 2024,鈥� said Daniel Loria of Boxoffice Pro. 鈥淭his is the sort of weekend we鈥檝e been waiting for.鈥�
As the only major release of the weekend, its theatrical footprint was equally impressive playing on 400 IMAX screens, over 900 鈥減remium large format鈥� screens and over 2,500 3D screens.
This recommitment to theatrical comes after Disney sent several Pixar films straight to its streaming service, Disney+, over the pandemic including 鈥淪oul,鈥� 鈥淟uca鈥� and 鈥淭urning Red.鈥� 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).
鈥淎s important as this weekend is for the industry at large, for Pixar this is huge. They鈥檝e been trying to get their groove back since the pandemic,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e really come back big.鈥�
Second place went to Sony鈥檚 鈥� Bad Boys: Ride or Die, 鈥� now in its second weekend with $33 million, down only 42% from its opening. In just 12 days, it鈥檚 already earned over $112 million domestically and $214 million globally. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had crossed the $1 billion mark.
鈥淏ad Boys鈥欌�� 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 鈥淏arbenheimer鈥�) but it鈥檚 progress in a more promising direction nonetheless.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to get there overnight,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 good news for theaters. And we have some big movies on the way.鈥�
On the ground, theater owners saw their cineplexes come to life this weekend.
鈥淚t has been magical,鈥� said Jeff Whipple, a vice president for Megaplex Theaters. 鈥淲e have seen literally generations of families brought together for this movie.鈥�
Megaplex Theaters operates 15 locations and 173 screens in Utah and Southern Nevada. And the energy was palpable, Whipple said. Not only have families been hanging around after the showtimes to discuss the film; They鈥檝e also been scoping out what鈥檚 coming next with kids taking pictures of the 鈥淒espicable Me 4鈥� posters and displays and dads taking note of the 鈥淒eadpool & Wolverine鈥� date.
鈥淚 think word is going to spread on this film and help draw people into theaters throughout the summer,鈥� Whipple said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淚nside Out 2,鈥� $155 million.
2. 鈥淏ad Boys: Ride or Die,鈥� $33 million.
3. 鈥淜ingdom of the Planet of the Apes,鈥� $5.2 million.
4. 鈥淭he Garfield Movie,鈥� $5 million.
5. 鈥淭he Watchers,鈥� $3.7 million.
6. 鈥淚F,鈥� $3.5 million.
7. 鈥淔uriosa: A Mad Max Saga,鈥� $2.4 million.
8. 鈥淭he Fall Guy,鈥� $1.5 million.
9. 鈥淭he Strangers: Chapter 1,鈥� $760,000.
10. 鈥淟ord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,鈥� $632,910.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
