Inside Out 2 surpasses Dune 2 as the highest-grossing release of 2024 in North America
The Animated Pixar movie Inside Out 2 has become the highest-grossing film of the year in the US within two weeks of its release.
According to Variety, the film earned $30.5 million on Friday, taking the US total to $285.7 million. With the new numbers, it has surpassed Dune: Part Two ($282 million) to become the highest-grossing North American release of 2024 so far.
It was released in theatres on 14 June.
According to the report, Inside Out 2 might land the biggest second weekend ever for an animated film. Currently, the position is held by The Super Mario Bros Movie which minted $92.3 million.
Inside Out 2 is a sequel to the 2015 hit about the inner workings of a young girl's mind. In the second instalment, the lead character, Riley, has become a teenager and is grappling with new emotions, including anxiety and envy. The original Inside Out opened with about $90 million in its first weekend in the summer of 2015.
As per Reuters, Inside Out 2 has already crossed $500 million at the worldwide box office. The movie had previously generated about $155 million in US and Canadian ticket sales over its first weekend, according to estimates. The last two Pixar releases, Elemental and Lightyear had mediocre ticket sales. Three prior Pixar films were sent straight to streaming during the Covid-19.
The results of Inside Out 2 could prove to be a boost for theatre owners, who have fewer movies to show this year because of delays caused by strikes in Hollywood last year.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Disney's executive vice president for theatrical distribution, Tony Chambers, said, "If it was ever in doubt, people continue and are still willing to go to the cinema to see great movies, and with 92% critics and 96 percent audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, there's no better example of this than Inside Out 2."