Inside Out 2, A Pixar Sequel, Breaks Box Office Records By Grossing $100 Million In Its Second Weekend

The second weekend was equally exciting for “Inside Out 2.”

Based on studio projections released on Sunday, the Pixar sequel made $100 million in ticket sales in its second weekend, breaking the previous record for an animated film in its second weekend in theatres.

“The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which brought in $92 million, had the previous greatest second weekend ever for an animated film. There have only ever been six films with superior second weekends.

After only fifteen days, “Inside Out 2” has made $724.4 million worldwide, including $355.2 million in US and Canadian theatres, making it the highest-grossing movie of 2024. That surpasses the $711.8 million global gross of “Dune: Part Two.”

In roughly a week, “Inside Out 2” is probably going to surpass the $1 billion milestone, making it the first movie since “Barbie” to accomplish so.

Hollywood, which had become used to lower expectations after seeing ticket sales this year decline by roughly 40% below pre-pandemic totals, according to data firm Comscore, before “Inside Out 2” arrived, was taken aback by the depth of “Inside Out 2’s” success.

The record revenue for “Inside Out 2,” however, brought back memories of earlier years when the Walt Disney Co. more frequently achieved $1 billion in revenue. It’s also a much-needed blockbuster for Pixar, which reevaluated its filmmaking process and strategy for appealing to a broad audience after testing out direct-to-streaming releases.

Now, “The Incredibles 2” ($1.2 billion) is ready to challenge “Inside Out 2,” which dropped just 35% from its $154 million domestic opening, to become the highest grossing Pixar film of all time. It might also lead the venerable animation studio to produce further follow-ups. One of its next features, “Toy Story 5,” is scheduled for release in 2026.

It’s impossible to argue that “Inside Out 2” was more required by theatre owners. However, it also brought to exhibitors’ attention how precarious the film industry has become in recent years. Movies like ‘Barbie’, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, and ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ have driven ticket sales to all-time highs since the pandemic, but the intervals between blockbuster hits have gotten longer. Last month’s Memorial Day weekend had the lowest ticket sales in thirty years.

The writers’ and performers’ strikes of the previous year contributed to some of the release schedule juggling that led to 2024’s decline. Jeff Nichols’ motorcycle gang movie “The Bikeriders,” which was originally scheduled to launch in 2023 but was postponed due to an actors’ strike, was the biggest new release of the weekend.

“The Bikeriders,” which starred Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Tom Hardy, opened to a $10 million gross from 2,642 theatres, above early projections. “The Bikeriders,” which was produced for over $35 million, was originally scheduled for release by Disney, but last autumn, New Regency brought it to Focus Features.

The great box office performance of “Inside Out 2” seemed to boost overall ticket sales. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” from Sony Pictures held up nicely in its third week of release, earning $18.8 million. It held onto the second spot. With Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the lead roles, the “Bad Boys” sequel has brought in $146.9 million at home so far.

Kevin Costner’s Western epic “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1” and the sci-fi horror prequel “A Quiet Place: Day One” also seek to capitalise on some of the success of “Inside Out 2” next week.