Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” is finally delivering the box office the sort of numbers expected from the summer, earning a2024-best $13 million from Thursday preview screenings,.
That tops the previous annual high of $12 million earned by “Dune: Part Two” in March and is more than triple the $3.7 million that the first “Inside Out” earned from Thursday preview screenings back in 2015 en route to a $90 million opening weekend.
While it is important to note that such screenings have become more widespread and numerous at theaters nationwide over the past nine years, exhibition sources tell TheWrap they believe “Inside Out 2” now has a very strong chance of beating its predecessor — tracking has the film matching the $90 million start — and becoming the first $100 million-plus opening since “Barbie” 11 months ago.
It’s a far cry from the abysmal $29.4 million that Pixar’s last theatrical release “Elemental,” opened to a year ago. That film ended up having a spectacular comeback thanks to strong audience reception, grossing $494 million worldwide. But the excellent presales for “Inside Out 2” in comparison show just how much sequels and familiar IP have dominated the family film market over original fare even more so than they did before the pandemic.
Adding on to the incredible momentum is the strong reviews by critics and audiences alike, earning a radiant 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes while trending on social media on Thursday night thanks to glowing praise from preview audiences.
With some extra help from Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” “Inside Out 2” is set to be a major step in getting the box office back to full speed after it suffered the worst May since 1998. But it will take more films like Paramount’s “A Quiet Place: Day One” and Universal/Illumination’s “Despicable Me 4” to give the market the number of high-performing films it needs to be truly healthy.
