LOS ANGELES — The second weekend was just as joyous for “Inside Out 2.”
The Pixar sequel grossed $100 million in tickets during its second weekend, according to studio estimates on Sunday, setting a new record for an animated sequel in theaters.
The previous record for a second weekend gross for an animated film was $92 million for “Super Mario Bros. The Movie,” which has only been surpassed by six other films.
In just a week and a half, Inside Out 2 has grossed $724.4 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2024 to date, including $355.2 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters. This surpasses Dune Part 2’s worldwide gross of $711.8 million.
Inside Out 2 will likely cross the $1 billion mark in a week or so, which would make it the first movie to do so since Barbie.
The magnitude of “Inside Out 2″‘s success has surprised Hollywood, which had grown accustomed to lower expectations before “Inside Out 2” came out, with ticket sales this year running about 40% below pre-pandemic totals, according to data firm Comscore.
Behind the Scenes of Inside Out 2
“On the Red Carpet” takes you behind the scenes at Pixar Animation Studios to see the making of the new film “Inside Out 2,” now playing in theaters nationwide.
But “Inside Out 2″‘s record-breaking box office takings are a reminder of a time when billion-dollar hauls were commonplace for Walt Disney Co. And it’s a long-awaited blockbuster for Pixar, which has rethinked its approach to filmmaking and mass appeal after experimenting with streaming releases.
Now, while “Inside Out 2” is down just 35% from its domestic debut of $154 million, it’s poised to challenge “Incredibles 2” ($1.2 billion) for the top spot at the box office for Pixar, and it could also spur the esteemed animation studio into more sequels, including “Toy Story 5,” due for release in 2026.
For theater owners, “Inside Out 2” was a much-needed release. But the film also served as a reminder to theaters of just how boom-and-bust the film industry has been in recent years. Since the pandemic began, movies like “Barbie,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Top Gun: Maverick” have driven ticket sales to record highs, but there have been long periods of hiatus between box-office blockbusters. Ticket sales for last month’s Memorial Day holiday were the worst in 30 years.
Part of the 2024 downturn can be attributed to adjustments to release schedules due to last year’s writers and actors’ strike. The weekend’s biggest new release was Jeff Nichols’ biker gang drama “The Bikers,” which was originally scheduled for release in 2023 but was delayed due to the actors’ strike.
“Biker Riders,” starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy, exceeded expectations by grossing $10 million from 2,642 theaters during its opening weekend. “Biker Riders,” which cost about $35 million to make, was originally set to be released by Disney, but was sold to Focus Features by New Regency last fall.
The strong box office performance of Inside Out 2 likely boosted ticket sales across the board. Sony Pictures’ Bad Boys: Ride or Die continued to do well in its third weekend, grossing $18.8 million, keeping it in second place. The Bad Boys sequel, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, has grossed $146.9 million domestically to date.
Next week sees the release of sci-fi horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day 1 and Kevin Costner’s Western blockbuster Horizon: An American Saga 1, with hopes that the success of Inside Out 2 will have some impact.
These are estimates of ticket sales in U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday through Sunday, according to ComScore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.
1. Inside Out 2, $100 million.
2. Bad Boys 2, $18.8 million.
3. Biker Riders, $10 million
4. The Garfield Movie, $3.6 million
5. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $3.6 million.
6. “If” $2.8 million
7. “The Exorcism” $2.4 million
8. “Thelma” $2.2 million
9. “The Watchers” $1.9 million
10. “Ghost 2,” $1.5 million.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Pixar and ABC.
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