Summary
Inside Out 2is now the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, and there are a few reasons why this happened. Nearly ten years after the release ofInside Out,Inside Out 2returns to the brain of Riley, a pre-teen going through some major life changes. While the first movie sawRiley and her emotionscoming to terms with moving to a new city, the sequel saw Riley’s inner world all shaken up as new emotions take up residence in her head. ThoughInside Outdid quite well in 2015,Inside Out 2has excelled.
Various factors play into whether a movie will succeed or not. The previoushighest-grossing animated movie of all time,Frozen II,made $1.4 billion at the box office, which was not surprising.Frozenwas a cultural moment upon its release in 2013 and was already an established Disney IP by the time the sequel hit theaters. Audiences were eager for the next installment, and a new generation of fans got to experience Elsa’s story in theaters.Inside Out 2enjoyed similar benefits and lived up to the expectations set up by the first movie.
Inside Out vs. Inside Out 2: Which Pixar Movie Is Better
Inside Out and Inside Out 2 are both excellent movies, but when comparing their story, animation, cast, and big emotional ending, one stands out.
Inside Out 2 Was The Movie Of The Summer For Families
Inside Out 2 Was An Obvious Pick For Families
A big part ofInside Out 2’ssuccess was that it was a familiar name at the box office. While summer is a popular time for new movie releases,Inside Out 2benefited from being a title that most people could recognize. Therefore, when families were considering bringing their children to a movie, many easily pickedInside Out 2over other films likeIF.Plus,Inside Outhas a great reputation, whereas franchises likeDespicable Memight have overstayed their welcomefor some audiences. In this way,Inside Out 2became the film of the summer.
2024
$1,462,720,838* (still in theaters)
2019
$1,453,683,476
2023
$1,361,992,475
2021
$1,290,000,000
2018
$1,242,805,359
Another strength ofInside Out 2is that it caters to viewers of all ages. Although the movie is targeted at younger audiences, adults can still be entertained by the film. More than that, adults can have important emotional responses and feel nostalgic for their youths after watchingInside Out 2’s emotions. This makes the movie much more enticing than othernew family movies. It also helps that, to a certain extent,audiences are growing withInside Out’sfranchise. That makes the sequel of interest to previousInside Outaudiences and a newer generation of young kids.
The Lion King(2019) grossed over $1.6 billion at the worldwide box office. However, Disney considers it a live-action picture.
Inside Out 2 Benefited From A Weaker Start To The Summer
Something else that boostedInside Out 2’spopularity was the lack of competition. When it was released in June 2024,Inside Out 2had very few movies to go up against. This is both because of genre and a general lack of big blockbusters hitting theaters in June. The month’s biggest releases wereBad Boys: Ride or Die,A Quiet Place: Day One, The Bikeriders, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter I,andThe Watchers.WhileBad BoysandA Quiet Placehad strong performances, grossing about $300 to $400 million, the latter three films never broke the $40 million mark.
AlthoughBad BoysandA Quiet Placeare strong film series with dedicated audiences, they don’t have the same box office power as a movie likeInside Out 2.
Ultimately,Inside Out 2benefited from being the sole family movie released in this time frame, and also, one of the biggest franchises. AlthoughBad BoysandA Quiet Placeare strong film series with dedicated audiences, they don’t have the same box office power as a movie likeInside Out 2.Whileanyone, young or old, can enjoyInside Out 2,A Quiet Place’shorror genre makes it more appropriate for teens and adults. Similarly,Bad Boys’R-rating slims down its potential audience. In that case,Inside Out 2was the clear winner of this box office race.
Inside Out 2’s Delayed Disney+ Release Told Audiences To Go To Theaters
Inside Out 2 Avoid A Major Disney+ Problem
Finally, another major aspect that helpedInside Out 2become the highest-grossing animated film of all time was that Disney made going to the theater the only option. In the past, Disney has released many animated films solely on Disney+ or streamed them alongside or shortly after a theatrical release. However, this time around,Disney announced thatInside Out 2would not be hitting the platform for a hundred daysafter its theatrical premiere. That meant that if audiences wanted to see it any time soon, they would have to go to the theater.
Inside Out(2015) made $857 million at the box office.
This strategy worked well for Disney, and it might impact the streaming dates for the studio’s future releases.Inside Out 2is an incredible success and has broken an important record. Though Disney is mostly going head-to-head with itself at this point, it is always exciting to see the great lengths a well-received theatrical release can achieve. It will be interesting to see howDisney’s upcoming animated movieswill perform compared toInside Out 2.
Inside Out 2
Cast
Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. - literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.
