‘Inside Out 2’ brings Pixar a major box office win

The big weekend makes “Inside Out 2” the second-highest domestic opening weekend for an animated film all-time, just behind Pixar’s own “Incredibles 2,” which still holds the record for top animated domestic opening with $182.7 million. The last film that notched more than $100 million in its opening weekend domestically was 2023′s “Barbie.”

“Inside Out 2,” the follow-up to the 2015 film about a young girl named Riley whose emotions are seen as characters who control her actions and habits, made $295 million globally over the weekend.

The opening weekend for “Inside Out 2” also surpassed the early take for the original film, which earned $90 million during its opening run, according to Disney. It went on to earn $858 million worldwide.

The box office success of “Inside Out 2” was joined by high acclaim from critics and fans alike. The Washington Post’s review described the film as “clever” with a relatable plot for many, and Tasha Robinson of Polygon described it as “Pixar’s most emotionally powerful movie of the past 15 years.” Audiences similarly ranked the film an “A” on CinemaScore, which measures viewer reactions to movies shortly after they’re released.

It’s welcome news for Pixar, given its recent uneven performances at the box office. The studio’s losing streak began with 2020’s “Onward,” which was released in the early weeks of the pandemic and never achieved lift off. (Despite a $39 million domestic opening weekend, its box office run finished at $61.5 million as movie theaters closed their doors due to the pandemic).

The most notable Pixar films released since 2020 — “Turning Red,” “Luca” and “Soul” — premiered on Disney Plus instead of movie theaters. (The films were rereleased in theaters in early 2024, but they found little appetite from moviegoers.)

Pixar seemed to have another blockbuster in its hands with 2022’s “Lightyear,” a spinoff from the Toy Story franchise, but the film received mixed reviews from critics and struggled at the box office.

The 2023 release of Pixar’s “Elemental,” an original story about characters based on elements (fire, water, earth and air), also raised concern considering its $29.6 million opening weekend domestically, which was among the lowest box office openings of all time for the company, and mixed reviews. The film slowly recovered from its poor opening, eventually bringing in more than $496 million at the global box office.

But with the success of “Inside Out 2,” Pixar has another hit in its collection — this time through a sequel to a previous box office winner. And that appears to be in line with Pixar’s latest strategy.

Last week, the company’s president, Jim Morris, told Bloomberg that Pixar wants to invest in more sequels and reboots of its surefire hits, rather than original ideas that might not attract massive audiences. So that probably would mean fewer “Lucas” and “Turning Reds” and more “Incredibles” and “Finding Nemo” sequels. Morris said “Inside Out 2” would be a good test for the company to see if sequels still hold weight at the box office. (This stoked a negative reaction from fans online, who pointed out that 2015’s “Inside Out” was an original idea.)

“With a sequel, if you put something out there that doesn’t have the goods, then you will be punished for it,” Morris told Bloomberg. “Having had the doldrums we did, it will certainly be a good test with ‘Inside Out 2’ for us to see: Does this stuff still work, or does it not?”

It seems Pixar is ready for either path, though. Next up on the company’s release slate is “Elio,” an original film idea about a plucky underdog kid who finds himself as Earth’s ambassador to a galactic organization, set to be released in 2025. Pixar is expected to release “Toy Story 5” in 2026.