A Thrilling Win for Cinemas, Hollywood: ‘Inside Out 2’ Scores Massive $155 Million Debut

Hollywood’s summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the massive premiere of “ Inside Out 2.” The animated sequel grossed $155 million in ticket sales at 4,440 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Not only is it the second-biggest opening weekend in Pixar’s nearly 29 years of film production and the second-biggest animated opening of all time (behind only “Incredibles 2’s” $182.7 million launch in 2018); It is also the biggest of 2024, which had no film opening above US$100 million. With an estimated $140 million in international showings, “Inside Out 2” had a surprising, record-breaking global start of $295 million.

The success is significant for Pixar, marking a much-needed comeback for a studio that has had a string of underwhelming releases, including “ Elementary”, which ended up becoming a hit, and “ Light-year“, what did not happen. It is also vitally important to the greater Hollywood ecosystem and the health of theatrical exhibition, which had been with a deficit of 26%before this weekend. “Inside Out 2” is the biggest opening since “Barbie” launched with US$162 million last July.

“This is a monumental weekend for theaters,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

Kelsey Mann directed “Inside Out 2,” which begins with Riley as she turns 13. This means the arrival of new emotions such as Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Boredom (Adèle Exarchopoulos), Envy ( Ayo Edebiri ) and Embaraço (Paul Walter Hauser) in the mix. Amy Poehler once again lends her voice to Joy in a cast that also includes Tony Hale, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith. It received glowing reviews from critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and polled audiences who gave it an A CinemaScore, suggesting this won’t be a first-weekend wonder either. With children out of school and a market open until “Despicable Me 4” enters the ring on July 4th, “Inside Out 2” is just beginning.

“Inside Out 2” is estimated to have cost around US$200 million to produce, which does not take into account the millions spent on marketing. Going into the weekend, he was eyeing a debut in the $90 million range, which would have been in line with “Inside Out’s” opening weekend in June 2019. Even that would have been considered an incredible achievement, and enough to claim the biggest opening of the year — finally displacing March releases like “ Dune: Part Two ” It is ” Godzilla vs. Kong.”

“For the entire film industry, this is a huge turning point for 2024,” said Daniel Loria of Boxoffice Pro. “This is the kind of weekend we have been waiting for.”

It got off to a great start with $13 million in Thursday’s screenings, which began at 3 p.m. As the only major release of the weekend, its theatrical presence was equally impressive, playing on 400 IMAX screens, over 900 “premium large format” screens, and over 2,500 3D screens.

This new commitment to film comes after Disney sent several Pixar films directly to its streaming service, Disney+, during the pandemic, including “Soul,” “Luca” and “Turning Red.” Last month, the New York Times reported that Pixar decided to refocus on feature films (and not on producing series for Disney+) and that it laid off 14% of its workforce (around 175 employees).

“As important as this weekend is for the industry at large, for Pixar this is huge. They have been trying to get their momentum back since the pandemic,” Dergarabedian said. “They really came back big.”

Second place went to “ Bad Boys: Ride or Die, ”Now in its second weekend with US$33 million, down just 42% from its debut. In just 12 days, it has already earned more than US$112 million in the domestic market and US$214 million worldwide. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had surpassed the $1 billion mark.

“Bad Boys” success last weekend It was the start of a turnaround with bigger earnings for the delayed summer movie season. To Hollywood, the summer season, which runs from the first weekend in May until Labor Day, usually makes up about 40% of the annual box office. The deficit is still significant, with ticket sales falling 28% in the summer and 24% for the year (and this is even before “Barbenheimer”), but progress is still in a more promising direction.

“We won’t get there overnight,” Dergarabedian said. “But it’s good news for cinemas. And we have some great films on the way.”

Locally, cinema owners saw their cineplexes come to life this weekend.

“It was magical,” said Jeff Whipple, vice president of Megaplex Theaters. “We literally saw generations of families come together for this film.”

Megaplex Theaters operates 15 locations and 173 screens in Utah and Southern Nevada. And the energy was palpable, Whipple said. Not only did families stick around after showtime to discuss the film; They’re also taking stock of what’s to come, with kids taking photos of “Despicable Me 4” posters and displays and parents taking note of the “Deadpool” movie. & Wolverine” and Kevin Costner’s two-part “Horizon: An American Saga.”

“I think this movie will spread and help bring people to theaters over the summer,” Whipple said. “It feels like one of those movies that people will talk about.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final national numbers will be released on Monday.

1. “Inside Out 2”, $155 million.

2. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $33 million.

3. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $5.2 million.

4. “The Garfield Movie,” $5 million.

5. “The Watchers,” $3.7 million.

6. “SE”, US$3.5 million.

7. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” $2.4 million.

8. “The Fall Guy,” $1.5 million.

9. “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” $760,000.

10. “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” $632,910.