Vice-Versa 2: already a new record at the global box office
10 years after an already phenomenal first installment, Inside Out 2 propels Pixar to the top of the box office. With 155 million dollars collected for its first weekend in the USA and 295 million worldwide, the film achieves the best opening of the year and sets several records. A look back at a contagious success.
What an extraordinary weekend for Inside Out 2! The new film from Pixar Studios, which plunges us back into Riley’s mind grappling with a host of new emotions now that she is a teenager, has raised no less than 155 million dollars for its first weekend in North American dark rooms.
The biggest opening of the year and the 2nd best launch of an animated film
With this impressive score, Inside Out 2 not only offers the best opening at the box office of 2024, but also the 2nd biggest opening of all time for an animated film in the United States, just behind The Incredibles 2 (another Pixar) and its 182 million in 2018.
On a global level, the feature film already totals 295 million dollars in revenue, making it simply the best opening in history for an animated film (taking into account current exchange rates and comparable markets). On this front too, it pulverizes the initial score of its predecessor Inside Out, which had grossed 90 million for its first weekend in 2015 before finishing its run at 858 million worldwide.
Critical and public triumph
The success of Inside Out 2 is not limited to the box office. The film has also won over critics, earning the valuable “Fresh” label on Rotten Tomatoes. Journalists unanimously praise the film’s visual quality, its cast, and its clever and inventive script.
On the audience side, the enthusiasm is just as palpable with an “A” rating on CinemaScore and a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Enough to confirm the bet of the creative teams.
Answering the lingering questions
For Kelsey Mann, the director of this new installment, there was still much to tell after the first episode. “At the end of Inside Out, Joy addresses the audience saying ‘After all, Riley is 12 now, what could happen?’. Well, I wanted to answer that question,” he explains.
The filmmaker thus follows in the footsteps of Pete Docter, creative director of Pixar and director of the first Inside Out, who confirms that the film “continued to be talked about” since its release nearly 10 years ago, hence the desire to give a sequel to this world rich in emotions.
“People tell us that this film has changed their way of seeing parenthood, or their own existence. That’s quite powerful for an animated film! We thought there might still be things to explore,” he points out.
New emotions
This exploration thus takes the direction of Riley’s adolescence and a unique cocktail of emotions like Embarrassment, Boredom, Envy, or Anxiety, a character embodied by Maya Hawke.
“This film is a real positive force. It accurately and tenderly addresses difficult emotions that everyone goes through, not just teenagers, making them less alienating or stressful,” analyzes the actress.
A budget of 200 million
To bring this sequel to life, Pixar went all out with a production budget of 200 million dollars. A winning bet given the excitement generated by the film.
Let’s remember that in recent years, Pixar films released directly on Disney+ during the pandemic (Soul, Luca, Red Alert) have had more difficulty finding their audience once back in theaters (Buzz Lightyear, Elementary). With Inside Out 2, the studio proves that it can still electrify the box office.
Success in Latin America
Beyond the United States, Inside Out 2 also scored big internationally with 140 million dollars, enough to surpass the opening of Frozen 2 (135 M$) outside the USA. Latin America in particular gave a triumphant welcome to the film, which signs the 2nd best opening of all time there behind Avengers: Endgame.
Keys to success according to Pixar
This XXL success is first and foremost due to “a universal story about coming of age, which appeals to a very broad audience,” analyzes Jim Morris, president of Pixar.
“It also proves that alternating between sequels and original films, focusing on quality each time, is the right strategy,” he continues, as the studio is already working on two new original projects including Elio, scheduled for 2025, as well as a Toy Story 5 in 2026.
Rich Gelfond, head of IMAX, Pixar’s partner on the release of Inside Out 2, is also thrilled. “With this phenomenal opening, which exceeded our projections by nearly 50%, the recovery is clearly underway in our theaters,” he rejoices.
14.5 million dollars in revenue were generated on IMAX screens worldwide for the film. A remarkable performance that bodes well for the future, as competition promises to be tough this summer with Despicable Me 4.
One thing is for sure, after this crazy weekend, emotions are running high at Pixar. And that’s great!
In summary
- 155 M$ for its first weekend in the USA, best opening of the year and 2nd best opening of an animated film
- 295 M$ in global revenue, absolute record for the opening of an animated film
- A critical and public triumph
- A budget of 200 M$
- Success in Latin America
- A highly anticipated sequel, nearly 10 years after the first installment
- Pixar focuses on balancing sequels and original films
- A contagious success in IMAX
Header image credit: press.disney
