Riding high on a wave of immense success, the Pixar sequel ‘Inside Out 2’ has shattered records by grabbing a jaw-dropping $100 million in ticket sales during its second weekend. Studio estimates released on Sunday reveal that this achievement sets a new benchmark for an animated movie enjoying its second run in theaters.
It’s an extraordinary feat, given that the previous holder of this triumphant title was “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which bagged a highly commendable $92 million during its second weekend. To date, only six globally acclaimed movies can boast of having a more successful second week run in theaters.
In the short span of a week and a half, ‘Inside Out 2’ has recorded a spectacular performance. As of 2024, the movie has emerged as the highest-grossing feature film having accumulated $724.4 million worldwide – a significant portion of it, $355.2 million, came from U.S. and Canadian theaters, easily surpassing the $711.8 million worldwide total of ‘Dune: Part Two’. The sparkling success story of ‘Inside Out 2’ appears to continue, as it is expected to surpass the coveted $1 billion mark within a week, making it the first movie since ‘Barbie’ to attain this benchmark.
The scale of this success has left Hollywood in awe, mostly because the film industry has been grappling with dwindling expectations following a roughly 40% drop in ticket sales this year as compared to pre-pandemic times. These details were relayed by data firm Comscore ahead of the release of ‘Inside Out 2’, which has revived hope in the industry.
The success of ‘Inside Out 2’ has evoked fond memories of when $1 billion grosses were almost de rigueur for the Walt Disney Co., providing a much-needed boost to Pixar. After dabbling in direct-to-streaming releases, the animation giant is now focusing on broad audience appeal.
One of the most impressive performance metrics is that ‘Inside Out 2’ recorded a mere 35% drop from its $154 million domestic debut. The film is now hot on the heels of ‘The Incredibles 2’ ($1.2 billion) as it slugs it out for the enviable title of the highest-grossingPixar release ever. It also raises the intriguing possibility that Pixar might turn towards sequels more frequently, with speculation already swirling around ‘Toy Story 5’ set to be released in 2026.
The record-breaking performance of ‘Inside Out 2’ has signaled a sigh of relief for theater owners. Yet, it is also a stark reminder of the current state of the movie business, which oscillates between extraordinary highs and some of the worst lows in decades.
What’s notable about the 2024 downturn is that some of it is, in fact, attributable to release-schedule adjustments stemming from last year’s writers and actors strikes. This was evident in the biggest new release over the weekend – the eagerly awaited motorcycle gang drama ‘The Bikeriders’, which was due to open in 2023 but had to be postponed due to the actors strike.
Despite all the delay, ‘The Bikeriders’, starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Tom Hardy, met with a warm reception, raking in $10 million from 2,642 venues on the opening weekend, exceeding anticipated gains. Originally aimed at being released by Disney, the film costing about $35 million to produce was eventually released by New Regency to Focus Features in the previous fall.
Overall, the flick’s success appears to have given a substantial boost to ticket sales. ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’, produced by Sony Pictures, maintained strong momentum in its third week of release, bringing in $18.8 million and holding steady in second place. The ‘Bad Boys’ sequel, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, has accumulated a domestic gross of $146.9 million so far.
Looking at what’s coming next week, the much anticipated prequel ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ and Kevin Costner’s Western epic ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1’ appears to be banking on success trickling down from ‘Inside Out 2’.
Estimated ticket sales figures from Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters according to data provided by Comscore rank ‘Inside Out 2’ at the top with $100 million, followed by ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ with $18.8 million, and ‘The Bikeriders’ with $10 million to round up the top three positions.
However, final domestic figures are awaited and will be released on Monday. While the anticipation fills the air, the success of ‘Inside Out 2’ brings hope to the film industry and viewers alike.
