Disney is jumping for Joy. That’s because the studio’s emotion-laden “Inside Out 2” has surpassed “Frozen II” to stand as the highest-grossing animated film in history.
After six weeks of release, “Inside Out 2” has generated $601 million domestically and $861 million internationally, bringing its global tally to a staggering $1.46 billion. “Frozen II” was bigger than the very successful original 2013 film and collected a mighty $1.45 billion during its theatrical run in 2019. (Disney’s 2019 remake of “The Lion King,” which earned a staggering $1.65 billion, is technically computer-generated, but the studio has categorized the movie as live-action. So, it doesn’t have a place on the list of top animated movies.)
In terms of global ticket sales, “Inside Out 2” just overtook “Barbie” ($1.446 billion) as the 13th-biggest movie of all time. Among its many records, the Pixar sequel is the fastest animated film to cross the $1 billion benchmark, having done so in 19 days. It’s also the highest-grossing movie of 2024 to date, and the only one this year to join the billion-dollar club.
“Inside Out 2” has succeeded theatrically thanks to several factors, including goodwill for the original 2015 film, stellar word-of-mouth and four-quadrant appeal. The first “Inside Out” triumphed with $858 million globally, but the sequel managed to clear those ticket sales in a matter of weeks.
The PG-rated “Inside Out 2,” which cost $200 million to produce, also jolted Pixar out of its box office slump. Critics and audiences were charmed by the sequel, so positive word of mouth was a boon for ticket sales. Nearly a decade after the original, “Inside Out 2” revisits the mind of the now-teenaged Riley, whose familiar emotions of Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith) and Anger (Lewis Black) were running the show. As she heads to summer camp, though, a whole bunch of new ones, such as Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) and Nostalgia (June Squibb), show up and bring some chaotic energy.
From Variety US