The Joy for Pixar's summer smash-hit sequel Inside Out 2 continues! First, Kelsey Mann's follow-up to Pete Docter's beloved 2015 emotional odyssey bagged a record-breaking opening weekend at the box office, blitzing its way to a $295 million open as it became the Envy of its blockbuster peers. It didn't take long then for the film to become 2024's first billion dollar box office hit, allaying any Fear of flagging cinemagoing figures after a slow start to the summer. And now Pixar are really living the life of Riley (in more ways than one) as their emotional coming-of-age caper has just toppled 2019's Frozen II to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
With a current total cume of $1.462 billion taken in just six weeks, Inside Out 2 now finds itself nestled between the continued adventures of Anna, Elsa, Olaf and co and high-octane action sequel Top Gun Maverick as the 13th biggest film in history. And with the movie still yet to release in Japan and the summer holidays still having only just begun, it wouldn't be crazy to imagine Mann's sequel earning the $60 million it would take to edge Avengers Assemble out of the all time top 10. (Also yes, it is worth noting that Disney's 2019 The Lion King is technically animated and has grossed more than Inside Out 2, but the House of Mouse don't classify it as an animation so Simba's stuck on live-action-CGI Pride Rock in this race.)
As for what exactly has led to Inside Out 2's remarkable box office run, a multitude of factors are at play. Critics and commercial cinemagoers alike's warm reception to Pixar's latest has lent itself to the movie having long box office legs — the power of positive word-of-mouth in action. Then there's the easily forgotten fact that Pete Docter's original Inside Out was a smash in its own right, widely regarded as one of the best Pixar movies ever made and a financial success to the tune of $858 million. Plus, perhaps most significantly, that first film came out nine years ago, and is in many ways to Gen Z audiences now what Toy Story is to Millennial moviegoers today, giving the franchise a cross-generational appeal that — thanks to its perennial themes and concepts — will only snowball and bring in more fans as the years go by.
When Amy Poehler spoke with Empire back in May, the Joy voice actor revealed her hopes for future Inside Out instalments to arrive in the style of Michael Apted's Seven Up docuseries, chronicling Riley's life as she navigates life's milestones. If Inside Out 2's record breaking box office heroics are anything to go by, then don't bet against an Insid3 Out, Insid4 Out, and In5ide Out in the years to come. Riley: The Existential Dread Of A Pre-Midlife Crisis anyone?