Celebrating Success, Overcoming Challenges, and Embracing New Emotions: Inside Out 2 Marks a Milestone for Pixar and Disney in 2024’s Box Office Landscape.
Embarrassed? Not at all. Sad or fearful? No way. Joyful? Absolutely. This was the atmosphere on June 17 when Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman celebrated the team behind “Inside Out 2,” the latest Pixar news and the year’s first box office hit, with champagne. This Pixar Inside Out film marks a significant comeback for the studio. At the Disney lot in Burbank, Pete Docter joined in the celebrations, acknowledging Pixar’s rough patch in recent years.
Riley’s Continued Journey
“Inside Out 2” continues Riley’s story as a 13-year-old dealing with new emotions like anxiety from Inside Out 2 alongside the familiar ones, led by Joy Inside Out voice Amy Poehler. The news of the film’s success is due to Pixar’s compelling story and Disney’s effective global marketing campaign. Martha Morrison, Walt Disney Studios’ newly promoted executive vice president of marketing, emphasized the focus on relatable new themes, particularly the universal experience of turning 13 and facing new emotions.
Record-Breaking Debut
The Inside Out movie in theaters opened with a record-breaking $154.2 million domestically, the second-largest animated film debut ever, and continues to perform exceptionally well midweek, grossing $29.1 million on its first Tuesday—a record for animated films. Internationally, “Inside Out 2 2024” started strong with nearly $300 million, a record in comparable markets, answering the question of what is the movie about.
Impact on Box Office Revenues
This success for the Disney Inside Out 2 film came at a crucial time, as year-to-date revenues were down by over 25%. With the dual success of “Inside Out 2” and Sony’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” box office revenue has now increased by two points. “Bad Boys 4” also performed well, with a $56.5 million domestic opening, further boosted by the strong performance of “Inside Out 2.”
Diverse Audience
The audience for “Inside Out 2” showed notable diversity: 38% Latino, 34% Caucasian, 13% Black, 10% Asian, and 5% Native American/other. This diverse audience was critical to its success, even though the movie focused on emotions rather than specific characters’ ethnicities.
Strategic Marketing and Promotion
Since returning as Disney CEO and engaging in controversies, including a showdown with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Bob Iger emphasized that films must entertain rather than focus solely on messaging. He stated, “We need to be sensitive to the interests of a broad audience.”
Latinos, who heavily support family films, played a significant role in the weekend box office success of “Inside Out 2.” The Inside Out promotions included extensive collaboration with Univision and Telemundo, custom integrations, and strategic placements in major events like Mexico’s Club America vs. Club Azole game. The movie saw massive success in Latin America, particularly in Mexico, and had Hollywood box office’s biggest opening in Colombia.
Global Campaign Efforts
In the U.S., Disney box office marketing included a major press junket in Miami, with Amy Poehler participating in global promotional events. To attract a wide age range, Disney arranged for the Inside Out joy and Sadness characters to visit theaters, a first for Disney. This effort, combined with a college tour showing the first 35 minutes of the Inside Out 2 full movie, paid off, attracting significant interest from young adults.
Overseas, nostalgia also drove success, particularly in South Korea, where “Inside Out 2” had the second-largest animated opening after “Frozen II.” The film has yet to open in other major markets like Japan, which is highly anticipated after its Inside Out 2 release date.
A Critical and Commercial Triumph
Overall, “Inside Out 2” has been a critical and commercial triumph for Pixar and Disney, rejuvenating the industry and providing a much-needed boost to the summer box office. According to Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian, the film’s success is a major win for Pixar movie’s box office and the struggling movie theater industry in 2024, providing a perfect remedy for the summertime box office slump. With a strong second weekend in box office performance, the movie looks to continue its worldwide box office dominance and secure its place among the biggest box office movies and top opening weekend box office hits. The box office weekend numbers and ongoing box office news paint a bright picture for Inside Out, similar movies, and the animation genre as a whole.
Source:
Pamela Mcclintock (June 19, 2024). How ‘Inside Out 2’ Broke Hollywood’s Box Office Curse. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/inside-out-2-broke-hollywood-box-office-curse-1235926505/. Accessed June 21, 2024
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