Inside Out 2 Becomes The First $1 Billion Box Office Hit Since Barbie

Disney is back to being the unquestioned champion of the box office as "Inside Out 2" has crossed a hugely impressive milestone. Pixar's latest animated hit has sailed past the $1 billion mark globally, becoming the first movie of 2024 to do so. It is also the first movie to do so since "Barbie" did it at the beginning of August last year. After a rough start to the year, it looks like things are finally turning around for theaters with the help of this animated juggernaut.

Director Kelsey Mann's "Inside Out 2" has taken in $469.3 million domestically to go with $545.5 million internationally for a grand total of $1.01 billion worldwide to date. That includes $57.4 million from its most recent weekend in North America, with Pixar's animated sequel topping the charts for a third weekend in a row. "A Quiet Place: Day One" opened with a very solid $53 million, but had to settle for second place.

"Barbie" managed to pass the $1 billion mark in 17 days. "Inside Out 2" did it in 19. That said, it does look like Pixar's latest has a shot at surpassing the $1.44 billion that "Barbie" pulled in by the end of its run. The film is demonstrating incredible legs with no signs of slowing down whatsoever. Tony Chambers, EVP of Theatrical Distribution for Disney, had this to say about it:

"We're absolutely thrilled to have reached this phenomenal milestone in record time, and it once again proves that global audiences will come out for a great movie. The film's remarkable success is a testament not only to the incredible creativity of the Pixar team but an example of moviegoing at its very best."

The only thing that will halt the progress of "Inside Out 2" at all, seemingly, is the forthcoming release of "Despicable Me 4," which looks to dominate the Fourth of July holiday frame. Even with that, the wildly good word of mouth and strong international turnout for Disney's animated behemoth should keep it going for weeks to come. The studio wisely committed to a long, exclusive theatrical window with this one. Don't expect to see it rushed to Disney+.

Coupled with the remarkable turnaround for "Elemental" last year, it appears that Pixar is very much on its way back to firing on all cylinders. The animation studio had a rough couple of years, as "Soul," "Luca," and "Turning Red" were all dumped directly to Disney+, while "Lightyear" bombed at the box office in 2022. Things were looking bleak. Fortunately, Disney CEO Bob Iger has committed to turning things around and, at least for now, that appears to be working.

Looking at the bigger picture, "Inside Out 2" is now just the seventh movie to cross the $1 billion mark since the pandemic began, joining "Avatar: The Way of Water" ($2.32 billion), "Spider-Man: No Way Home" ($1.92 billion), "Top Gun: Maverick" ($1.49 billion), "Barbie" ($1.44 billion), "The Super Mario Bros. Movie "($1.36 billion), and "Jurassic World Dominion" ($1 billion). It will pass "Incredibles 2" ($1.24 billion) in the coming weeks to become Pixar's biggest movie ever. If it can pass "Frozen II" ($1.45 billion), it will become the biggest animated movie ever, unless we count 2019's "The Lion King" remake ($1.6 billion). But that's another conversation entirely. For now, Disney has much to celebrate.

"Inside Out 2" is in theaters now.