Inside Out 2 Has Already Dethroned Dune 2 As The Biggest Movie Of 2024 So Far
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new 2024 box office champion. After less than two weeks, Disney's "Inside Out 2" has managed to outgross every other movie released this year so far, overtaking Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two" ($711.8 million) to take the crown. The only question now is just how high Pixar's latest can fly.
Director Kelsey Mann's "Inside Out 2" took in an absolutely ridiculous $100 million in its second weekend domestically, dropping just 35% from its record-breaking $154.2 million debut. Pixar's latest also pulled in a stellar $164.4 million overseas in its second frame. That brings the movie's running total to $724.3 million and counting. That number includes $355.1 million from domestic ticket sales. This is to take nothing away from "Dune: Part Two," which made $282.1 million domestically and $429.7 million internationally, coming in well above expectations. It's just no longer the king of the hill.
The success of "Inside Out 2" couldn't have come at a better time. Domestic ticket sales are still lagging 21% behind this same point in 2023, as the first half of 2024 was pretty rough overall. Movies like "The Fall Guy" and "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" fell well short of expectations at the box office. Coupled with an overall weak slate largely caused by the SAG and WGA strikes from last year, theater owners have had to contend with a disappointing start to the year that the industry could ill-afford.
Mercifully, Disney and Pixar have helped to turn the tide with an unexpected monster. Since "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red" all went directly to Disney+ post-2020, it was unclear if Pixar would ever reach the wildly high box office heights of the pre-pandemic era. While the jury is still out on what a Pixar original can do, "Elemental" pulled in nearly $500 million worldwide last year after a seemingly disastrous opening weekend. Looking at the bigger picture, it's safe to say Pixar's good name still means something.
Can any movie challenge Inside Out 2 for the box office crown?
"Inside Out 2" now holds the record for the best second weekend ever for an animated movie, dethroning last year's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" ($92.3 million). That bodes well, given that "Mario" went on to earn more than $1.3 billion globally. It's the seventh biggest second weekend ever behind "The Avengers" ($103 million), "Jurassic World" ($106.5 million), "Black Panther" ($111.6 million), "Avengers: Infinity War" ($114.7 million), "Avengers: Endgame" ($147.3 million), and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ($149.2 million). What's interesting is that all of those movies made at least $200 million on their opening weekends, so the week-to-week hold for "Inside Out 2" in the early going is particularly strong, comparatively.
Looking ahead, "Inside Out 2" will cross the $1 billion mark by early July, becoming the first 2024 movie to do so. If things can continue to go well, it should pass "Incredibles 2" ($1.24 billion) to become Pixar's biggest movie ever. Can any other movie coming down the pipeline cross that same $1 billion milestone and potentially challenge Pixar's blockbuster sequel for the crown? It seems increasingly unlikely but there are a couple of films that have a shot.
Next up is another animated juggernaut in the form of "Despicable Me 4," which arrives on the July 4 weekend. Kids love the Minions and that one seemed like perhaps the only safe bet as a $1 billion grosser at the beginning of the year. There's also Marvel's "Deadpool & Wolverine," which increasingly seems like it is going to outperform even the most bullish expectations. The film has already started breaking box office records well ahead of its release, suggesting a monster opening. But an R-rated comic book movie may have a tough time matching the long legs of a family-friendly, mass appeal animated film. For now at least, Disney is king of the box office once again.
"Inside Out 2" is in theaters now.