“Inside Out 2” brought anxiety, embarrassment, envy and ennui to the screen. It’s no wonder the animated sequel proved to be an embarrassment of riches at the box office.
The film, which came nine years after the original, returned audiences to the mind of Riley. Now 13, Riley, along with new and old emotions alike, stole the hearts of theatergoers worldwide.
A slow start to the 2024 box office, which included the worst Memorial Day weekend in decades — excluding 2020 when theaters were closed due to COVID-19 — had reigniting panic over the state of the exhibition industry.
“Inside Out 2” has officially changed the tune.
Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian said the Pixar sequel’s success is “no surprise,” citing its “nearly unlimited demographic appeal.”
“‘Inside Out 2’ is the film that saved the summer movie season of ’24, swooping in just when some had given up hope, thinking the slow start in May would portend an underwhelming and disappointing June through Labor Day for theatres,” Dergarabedian wrote in an email to The Times. “‘Inside Out 2’ changed emotions in Hollywood from sad to happy in one spectacular opening weekend.”
It’s been an especially strong summer for animated films. “Despicable Me 4” has grossed $437.8 million worldwide. With that success, “Despicable Me” has become the first animated franchise in history to surpass $5 billion.
But “Inside Out 2” is still the star of the summer. Here are some records the animated movie has smashed to prove it.
Highest-grossing movie of 2024 in the U.S. and worldwide
Five weeks since its release, “Inside Out 2” has earned $1.36 billion globally ($574 million domestically). It’s the only movie this year to reach $1 billion.
And the movie shows no signs of losing steam. The sequel is yet to debut in Japan, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden and the Czech Republic, where it’s sure open on top.
It’s also the 17th-highest-grossing movie of all time. This weekend, the film surpassed “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” and “Black Panther.”
Third-highest-earning animated movie of all time
While the movie currently earns bronze is this category, it’s only about $13 million shy of catching the second-highest-grossing animated film: “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” Dergarabedian predicts the Pixar pic will overtake the video game adaptation by the end of the week.
Disney’s “Frozen 2” wears the crown with $1.45 billion worldwide.
Highest-grossing Pixar movie of all time globally
“Inside Out 2” overtook fellow sequel “Incredibles 2” to become Pixar’s biggest movie ever. The superhero adventure made $1.24 billion when it premiered in 2018.
Second-biggest opening weekend for an animated movie globally
With a whopping $295 million in its opening weekend, “Inside Out 2” had the second-highest-grossing debut for an animated film, just behind “Incredibles 2.”
Fifth-highest-grossing animated movie of all time internationally
While “Despicable Me 4” is enjoying success, “Inside Out 2” knocked out “Despicable Me 3” this weekend to rank among the top five animated films internationally. 2017’s “Despicable Me 3” earned $770 million internationally.
Fourth-highest-grossing PG opening at domestic box office
Thanks to “Inside Out 2’s” $574.4 million domestic cume, Pixar now occupies the top four spots on the PG list. The sequel joins the likes of “The Lion King,” “Incredibles 2” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
Top movie of all time in Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Uruguay
The film reeled in about $95.3 million in Mexico, where it drew its largest Latin American audience. The movie was also among the 10 highest-grossing films in Argentina, Central America, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Bolivia and the Philippines.
Eleventh animated movie to reach $1 billion
Only 11 animated films have reached the $1 billion mark globally — and Pixar is responsible for eight of those titles. “Inside Out 2” joins this exclusive club with such movies as “Frozen,” “Frozen 2” and “Toy Story 3.”
Biggest animated film of all time in 17 countries
“Inside Out 2” earned this crown in Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Lebanon, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. It also held this title, for a non-local movie, in Ukraine.
It’s the second highest earner ever in Central America, Ecuador, the Philippines and Slovakia.