No one saw this coming. “ Inside Out 2 ” (Disney) fell only 35 percent in its second weekend. Following a great $154 million opening , huge initial weekdays, it’s added an estimated $100 million.
That puts it at $355 million in only 10 days. How big is that? Second only since COVID to “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in 2021, which had December 25 and 26 in the first 10 days of its opening, eventually grossing $470 million in that time. It even edges out “Barbie” ($351 million) and bests the full run of “Oppenheimer.
” This is phenomenal. In many ways, this weekend is even more impressive than the strong debut. With less emphasis on premium screens and of course many lower-price tickets for kids, sales outpace any release since “No Way Home.
” Kids also always elevate concessions, which makes the bounty for theaters even greater. The total weekend gross will be around $152 million, an improvement of $41 million from last year and reducing the year-to-date shortfall to 21 percent. Combined with the decent run for “ Bad Boys: Ride or Die ” (Sony) with just under $19 million this weekend and $147 million through three weekends, it creates hope that momentum will carry over to other releases.
“A Quiet Place: Day One” (Paramount) this Friday and “Despicable Me 4” (Universal) on July 3 will be the first tests. “Inside Out 2” has become a mass event. Theaters report the very rare combination of all ages and a wide spectrum of demographics, often in large.
