The animated film’s sequel grossed $469.3 million in North America and $545.5 million internationally in just three weeks, totaling $1.015 billion worldwide. It is one of the 11 animated films to join the billion-dollar club (eight of which are Disney films) and the fastest animated film to achieve this milestone. Notably, since the Covid pandemic, it’s become increasingly rare for a film to reach $1 billion, placing the “Inside Out” sequel alongside blockbusters like “Avatar,” “Top Gun,” “Spider-Man,” and “Jurassic World” sequels, as well as “Barbie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”
When “Inside Out 2” hit theaters on June 14, the film surpassed expectations with a $151 million opening, outpacing the “Dune” sequel, which had been the year’s biggest opener. It was the first film to debut over $100 million since last July’s “Barbie” ($162 million). Since then, the highly successful animated film has maintained the top spot on box office charts for three consecutive weekends and has become the highest-grossing film of 2024 both domestically and worldwide. Earlier this week, it surpassed its predecessor, 2015’s “Inside Out” (which grossed $859 million worldwide).
The film, which explores the emotions of young Riley, is also widely used in schools and early education centers worldwide to help children understand and communicate their emotions. Thus, it is not only an artistic success, keeping a part of Pixar’s magic alive, but it has also become an important part of our society and community. Occasionally, a film emerges that entertains all age groups and carries such a strong message.
The explosive and relatively surprising box office success of “Inside Out 2” proves that audiences still crave quality and intelligent Disney content, which is certainly still enough to guarantee success. If we take a closer look at why the film became such a hit, we easily find the winning formula: it effortlessly emphasizes values like diversity and inclusion, which are increasingly important at Disney year after year. Last summer’s “Elemental,” which also achieved great success, used the allegorical relationship of characters made of fire and water to explore bigotry, immigrant experiences, and overcoming differences in a love story.
Summer promises to be great for Disney, with the latest “Minions” sequel and the superhero satire “Deadpool and Wolverine” expected to be major attractions in July.