In
Disney
and
Pixar’s
“Inside
Out
2,”
Joy,
Sadness,
Anger,
Fear
and
Disgust
meet
new
emotions.

Disney
|
Pixar



Disney

and
Pixar
brought
a
big
dose
of
joy
to
the
box
office
this
weekend.

“Inside
Out
2”
debuted
with
an
estimated
$155
million
domestically,
the
second-highest
theatrical
opening
of
an
animated
film
and
the
first
film
since


Warner
Bros.’

“Barbie”
to
top
$100
million
during
its
debut.

Of
note,
Disney
does
not
consider
its
2019
live-action
remake
of
“The
Lion
King,”
which
generated
$191.7
million
during
its
debut,
an
animation
film.

“Inside
Out
2”
is
expected
to
haul
in
$295
million
globally
for
the
weekend.

“Let’s
issue
a
collective
‘welcome
back’
to
Disney,
Pixar,
and
the
summer
box
office,”
said
Shawn
Robbins,
founder
and
owner
of
Box
Office
Theory.”

Both
Pixar
and
Walt
Disney
Animation
struggled
to
regain
a
foothold
at
the
box
office
after
pandemic
restrictions
lessened
and
audiences
returned
to
theaters.
Disney
had
opted
to
debut
a
handful
of
animated
features
directly
on
Disney+
and
so

parents
were
trained
to
seek
out
new
Disney
titles
on
streaming
,
not
in
theaters,
even
when
they
did
return
to
the
big
screen.

Compounding
Disney’s
woes,
many
audience
members
began
to
feel
that
the
company’s
content
had
grown
overly
existential
and
too
concerned
with
social
issues
beyond
the
reach
of
children.

“Many
narratives
have
been
written
about
the
two
studios
and
moviegoing
in
recent
times,
so
this
powerful
debut
by
‘Inside
Out
2’
is
a
breath
of
fresh
air,”
Robbins
said.

The
film
is
the
fifth
Pixar
feature
to
surpass
$100
million
during
its
debut
in
North
America
and
the
second-biggest
opening
weekend
ticket
seller
for
the
studio
just
behind
2018’s
“The
Incredibles
2,”
which
tallied
$182.6
million.
Around
12
million
patrons
flocked
to
cinemas
to
see
the
flick,
according
to
data
from
EntTelligence.

“This
is
clearly
a
big
win
for
theaters,”
said
Paul
Dergarabedian,
senior
media
analyst
at
Comscore.
“It’s
an
even
bigger
win
for
Pixar.”

The
theatrical
industry
has
struggled
this
year
with
fewer
titles,
as
production
shutdowns
from
the
pandemic
were
exacerbated
by
a
dual
labor
strike
that
closed
movie
sets
for
nearly
five
months
last
year.
The
result
has
been
a
26%
decline
in
ticket
sales
compared
to
2023
and
a
42%
drop
from
2019
levels,
according
to
data
from
Comscore.
Heading
into
this
weekend,
the
domestic
box
office
stood
at
$2.8
billion.

While
there
have
been
some
standout
performances
from
films
like
Warner
Bros.
and
Legendary
Entertainment’s
“Dune:
Part
Two,”
Warner
Bros.
and
Toho’s
“Godzilla
x
Kong:
The
New
Empire”
and


Universal’s

“Kung
Fu
Panda
4,”
the
2024
box
office
has
struggled
to
hit
a
consistent
pace
of
releases
and
ticket
sales.

Missing
from
this
year’s
early
summer
slate
for
the
first
time
since
2009
was
a

Marvel
Cinematic
Universe
title
.
Typically,
these
films
average
$100
million
to
$200
million
openings,
with
2019’s
“Avengers:
Endgame”
hitting
a
record
$357.1
million.
Instead,
this
year,
Universal’s
“The
Fall
Guy”
opened
to
$28
million.

Fewer
films
and
fewer
blockbusters
could
push
the
summer
box
office
down
as
much
as
$800
million
compared
with
2023,
according
to
Comscore’s
Dergarabedian,
and
have
ripple
effects
for
the
whole
year.
After
all,
the
key
summer
period,
which
runs
from
the
first
weekend
in
May
through
Labor
Day,
typically
accounts
for
40%
of
the
total
annual
domestic
box
office.

“Inside
Out
2”
is
a
bright
spot
for
the
industry.
It
boasts
the
biggest
domestic
debut
of
2024,

surpassing
“Dune:
Part
Two”
and
its
$82.5
million

in
opening
weekend
ticket
sales.

“Does
this
performance
wipe
away
all
concerns
of
evolving
consumer
behavior?
Of
course
not,
but
it
should
stay
the
hand
of
those
thinking
Disney
or
Pixar
had
permanently
lost
their
commercial
gravitas
after
an
overly
aggressive
streaming
strategy
and
undercooked
films
which
together
eroded
some
of
their
audiences
in
the
past
few
years,”
Robbins
said.

And
some
heavy
hitters
are
coming
to
close
out
the
summer
and
finish
up
the
year.

“Deadpool
and
Wolverine,”
Marvel’s
first
R-rated
feature,
is
due
in
theaters
in
July
and
is
expected
to
deliver
a
strong
opening
weekend
as
well
as
a
steady
stream
of
ticket
sales
throughout
its
run.

Then
“Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice”
arrives
in
early
September,
“Joker:
Folie
a
Deux”
hits
in
October
alongside
“Venom:
The
Last
Dance,”
and
November
sees
“Gladiator
II,”
“Moana
2”
and
“Wicked.”
Additionally,
December
will
have
“Kraven
the
Hunter,”
“Sonic
the
Hedgehog
3″
and
“Mufasa:
The
Lion
King.”


Disclosure:
Comcast
is
the
parent
company
of
NBCUniversal
and
CNBC.