After becoming the Envy of its peers with an astonishing, record-breaking $295 million opening weekend, Inside Out 2 is continuing to bring Pixar box office Joy in a big way. In only its third weekend since release, the studio's sequel to Pete Docter's emotional 2015 animation Inside Out took $108 million at the international box office, taking the film's worldwide total past the coveted $1 billion. Not only does that make Kelsey Mann's movie the first billion dollar grossing picture of 2024, but it also sees Inside Out 2 blaze past Frozen II to become the fastest animated feature to hit that milestone, accomplishing in just 19 days what took Olaf and co 25 days previously.
Inside Out 2, which continues to explore the inner workings of a now-teenage Riley's (Kensington Tallman) mind as she hits puberty, may still have a way to go yet to dethrone Frozen II's dizzying $1.453 billion cume and become the all-time highest grossing animation. But in a post-COVID cinematic landscape, and following something of an early summer blockbuster washout with underwhelming box office performances for the likes of Furiosa and The Fall Guy, the success of Pixar's latest effort — only the eleventh (or twelfth if you count 2019's The Lion King) animated movie in history to break a billion dollars — can't be underestimated.
As well as Inside Out 2's Ennui busting box office heroics, a strong $99 million opening weekend showing for A Quiet Place: Day One — Michael Sarnoski's (Pig) Joseph Quinn and Lupita Nyong'o starring alien invasion prequel — saw the sci-fi franchise earn its biggest domestic and international debut to date. And with Despicable Me 4, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Twisters all still to come, the timing is ripe for a summer blockbuster box office heatwave. Long live the theatrical experience!