Hollywood’s summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the big debut of the Disney and Pixar animated film. Inside Out 2” The studio estimated Sunday that the animated sequel earned $155 million in ticket sales from 4,440 theaters in the United States and Canada.
Not only is it the second-largest opening weekend in Pixar’s 29 years of filmmaking and the second-largest opening for an animated film ever (behind the $182.7 million opening of Incredibles 2 in 2018); It’s also the biggest 2024 holiday since Barbie. With approximately $140 million in international openings, Inside Out 2 had a staggering and record-breaking worldwide opening of $295 million.
Tony Chambers, who heads Disney’s theatrical distribution, was confident that the film would do “extremely well.” But even he was surprised by how much it exceeded already high expectations.
“People go to movie theaters for good movies,” Chambers said. “The reviews, the word of mouth, just helped create this momentum… It’s becoming something of a phenomenon.”
It’s important to note that Inside Out 2’s audience spanned all ages and demographics. Success in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic depends on attracting multicultural audiences, he said.
This success is significant for Pixar as it marks a much-needed return to form for the studio, which has had a string of disappointing launches, including: Elemental“, which was ultimately successful, and ” Light year“, which did not happen. It’s also vital for the entire Hollywood ecosystem and the health of theatrical performances that used to be operates with a deficit of 26%.
“Everyone needed this because success breeds success,” said Chambers, who has received enthusiastic calls from both exhibitors and fellow studios. “It’s great for the industry, great for Pixar and great for the business overall.”
Disney has already had a strong summer with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which this weekend took third place in its sixth weekend with $5.2 million (bringing its global total to $374.5 million). And the following: “ Deadpool and Wolverine (26 July).
Kelsey Mann directed Inside Out 2, which follows Riley as she turns 13. This means the emergence of new emotions such as Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and Envy (Maya Hawke). Ayo Edebiri ) to Joy’s (Amy Poehler) party. It received rave reviews from critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and surveyed audiences, who gave it a CinemaScore, suggesting it won’t be an opening-weekend wonder. Children do not go to school and the market is open until Despicable Me 4 enters the ring The Fourth of July is just getting started for Inside Out 2.
“This is a huge weekend for movie theaters,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
Inside Out 2 is estimated to cost approximately $200 million to produce, not including the millions spent on marketing. Heading into the weekend, he was targeting a $90 million debut, which would match Inside Out’s opening weekend in June 2019. discovery of the year – finally dethroning March releases like ” Dune: Part Two ” And ” Godzilla x Kong“
“This is a huge turning point for the entire theater industry in 2024,” said Daniel Lauria of Boxoffice Pro. “This is the weekend we’ve been waiting for.”
As the weekend’s only major release, its theatrical presence was equally impressive, playing on 400 IMAX screens, over 900 “premium large format” screens and over 2,500 3D screens.
This return to theatrical cinema comes after Disney sent several Pixar films straight to its streaming service Disney+ due to the pandemic, including Soul, Luca and Blushing. Last month, The New York Times reported that Pixar has decided to return to feature films (rather than producing shows for Disney+) and has laid off 14% of its workforce (about 175 employees).
“As important as this weekend is for the industry as a whole, it is huge for Pixar. After the pandemic, they tried to get back to normal,” Dergarabedian said. “They really came back big.”
Second place went to Sony” Bad Boys: Ride or Die It’s now in its second weekend with $33 million, down just 42% from its opening. In just 12 days, it has already earned over $112 million domestically and $214 million worldwide. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had surpassed the $1 billion mark.
“Bad Boys'” success last weekend marked the beginning of revenue growth in the protracted summer movie season. For Hollywood summer season, which runs from the first weekend in May until Labor Day, typically accounts for about 40% of the annual box office. The shortfall is still significant, with ticket sales down 28% for the summer and 24% for the year (and that’s before Barbenheimer), but it’s nonetheless progress in a more promising direction.
“We’re not going to get there overnight,” Dergarabedian said. “But this is good news for theaters. And we have some big films coming up.”
This weekend, movie theater owners saw their movie theaters come to life.
“It was magical,” said Jeff Whipple, vice president of Megaplex Theatres. “We saw literally generations of families coming 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 gather after screenings to discuss the film; They also wondered what would happen next: kids took pictures of Despicable Me 4 posters and stands, and dads celebrated the date of Deadpool and Wolverine.
“I think word of this movie will spread and help bring people to theaters throughout the summer,” Whipple said.
Estimated ticket sales are Friday through Sunday at theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to Comscore. Final internal data 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. “IF” – $3.5 million.
7. “Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga,” $2.4 million.
8. “The Fallen Boy,” $1.5 million.
9. “Strangers: Chapter 1,” $760,000.
10. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” $632,910.