In This Story
“Inside Out 2" could become the first billion-dollar movie since “Barbie” after scoring a whopping $100 million in ticket sales in its second weekend.
The Pixar sequel has already grossed $724.4 million globally, including $355.2 million in the U.S.
Less than two weeks after its premiere, it is the year’s highest-grossing film and has become one of only seven movies to gross $100 million in its second weekend.
Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory, told CNBC there are a slew of factors contributing to the animated flick’s success, including “a meaningful story,” a beloved original, a reasonable runtime, a heat wave driving people indoors, and summer break from school.
He also said it was great news for movie theaters that were “starved of event-level releases to begin the summer season in May.”
“A blockbuster run is just what the doctor ordered for theater owners,” Robbins said.
The film’s $295 million worldwide debut stunned industry experts, who initially didn’t expect it to crack $100 million in its opening weekend domestically. It went on to gross $154.2 million.
“Barbie” was the last movie to crack $1 billion at the box office, ultimately scoring a mammoth $1.45 billion, making it the 14th-highest-grossing film of all time.
The box office success for “Inside Out 2”is also welcome news for Pixar, which has struggled the past few years. Its 2022 “Toy Story” spinoff “Lightyear” only grossed $226.4 million globally and was estimated to lose the studio more than $100 million.