An emotional victory for cinemas and Hollywood: 'Inside Out 2' scores a massive $155 million opening

By LINDSEY BAHR – AP Film Writer

(AP)—Hollywood's summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the massive debut of Disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2.” The animated sequel grossed $155 million in ticket sales from 4,440 theaters in the United States and Canada, according to studio estimates as of Sunday.

Not only is it the second highest opening weekend in Pixar's 29 years of filmmaking and the second highest opening weekend of animation ever (behind only the launch of ” The Incredibles 2” for $182.7 million in 2018); It’s also the biggest of 2024, and since “Barbie.” With an estimated $140 million from international screenings, “Inside Out 2” had a staggering and record-breaking global debut of $295 million.

Tony Chambers, who heads theatrical distribution for Disney, was confident the film would do “extremely well.” But even he was surprised by how much it exceeded already high expectations.

“People go to theaters to watch great films,” Chambers said. “Reviews, word of mouth have helped create this momentum… It’s becoming a bit of a phenomenon.”

It's important to note that the audience for “Inside Out 2” spans all ages and demographics. Post-COVID, he said, breakthrough successes depend on attracting a multicultural audience.

The success is significant for Pixar, marking a much-needed return to form for a studio that suffered a string of disappointing launches, including “Elemental,” which ultimately became a hit, and “Lightyear,” which did not. . It's also vitally important to the Hollywood ecosystem as a whole and to the health of theatrical exhibition, which was running a 26% deficit.

“Everyone needed it because success breeds success,” said Chambers, who received enthusiastic calls from exhibitors and other studios. “It’s great for the industry, great for Pixar and great for the company as a whole.”
Disney was already having a great summer, with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which this weekend ranked third in its sixth weekend with $5.2 million (bringing its worldwide total to $374.5 million). And next up is “Deadpool & Wolverine” (July 26).

Kelsey Mann directed “Inside Out 2,” which picks up with Riley as she celebrates her 13th birthday. This means the arrival of new emotions like anxiety (Maya Hawke) and envy (Ayo Edebiri) at Joy's (Amy Poehler) party. It received rave reviews from critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and polled audiences who gave it an A CinemaScore, suggesting it won't be a first-weekend wonder. With kids out of school and an open market until “Despicable Me 4” enters the ring on July 4, “Inside Out 2” is just getting started.

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

“Inside Out 2” is estimated to have cost around $200 million to produce, not including the millions spent on marketing. Going into the weekend, he expected a debut in the $90 million range, which would have been in line with Inside Out's first weekend in June 2019. Even that would have been considered a success great, and enough to win the biggest prize. opener of the year – ultimately toppling March releases like “Dune: Part Two” and “Godzilla x Kong.”

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

As the weekend's only major release, its theatrical footprint was equally impressive across 400 IMAX screens, over 900 “premium large format” screens and over 2,500 3D screens.

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

“As big as this weekend is for the industry as a whole, for Pixar, it's huge. They're trying to get their groove back since the pandemic,” Dergarabedian said. “They've really come back with a bang.”

Second place went to Sony's “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” which is in its second weekend with $33 million, down just 42% from its opening. In just 12 days, he has already earned over $112 million domestically and $214 million globally. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had crossed the $1 billion mark.

The success of “Bad Boys” last weekend marked the start of a turnaround in higher revenues for the lagging summer movie season. For Hollywood, the summer season, which runs from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, typically accounts for about 40 percent of the annual box office. The deficit is still significant, with ticket sales down 28% for the summer and 24% for the year (and that's still before “Barbenheimer”), but it's progress nonetheless in one direction. more promising.

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

On the ground, theater owners saw their cineplexes come to life this weekend.

“It’s been magical,” said Jeff Whipple, vice president of Megaplex Cinemas. “We saw literally 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 stay after the screenings to discuss the film; They also studied what came next, with kids snapping photos of “Despicable Me 4” posters and displays and dads taking note of the “Deadpool & Wolverine” date.

“I think word of this movie will spread and help draw people into theaters throughout the summer,” Whipple said.

Estimated ticket sales Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final national figures 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 Observers”, $3.7 million.
6. “SI”, $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. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” $632,910.

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