Pixar returned to the top of the box office in a massive way as Inside Out 2 destroyed all expectations with a $155 million opening. The animated sequel nearly doubled the $85 million start that most had for it going into the weekend to score the best opening for any film since Barbie and the second-highest start for an animated film, squeezing past Super Mario Bros Movie’s $146.3 million start and coming in behind only The Incredibles 2’s $182.
6 million opening. It goes without saying that this is huge for Disney and for the box office, which had gotten off to a lax summer season start. Pixar is finding this news especially welcome, as it hasn’t had an unmitigated hit since Toy Story 4 in 2019.
(Last year’s Elemental was profitable but had to fight to get there.) The massive overperformance can be attributed to the classic elements of blockbuster success: it’s a sequel to a highly successful first film (and one that is considered one of Pixar’s best) that was well-marketed and came into the weekend with plenty of buzz. Critics love the film at a 92% aggregated score on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences agree with a 96% RT audience score and an A CinemaScore.
That all bodes very well for the film’s potential legs, and it’s already primed for huge success. The overperformance could suggest a heavier drop than your average Pixar film; but even if that happens it should have no problem making it to around $375 million (and it will probably go higher than that). It�.
