If I say Pixar produces movies only for young audiences, it would be a lie. Pixar’s movies have a much wider audience than I imagined. The recent box office success of “Inside Out 2” is proof of that. Among its many achievements so far, the movie has also restored some of Pixar’s lost pride. The animated film industry saw a downfall in the post-pandemic years following a series of commercial underperformers. But with Pixar’s latest film, the season seems to finally change, as “Inside Out 2” is shattering not only records for animated films in general but also setting new benchmarks for Pixar itself.
The film marked its release in theaters in the United States on June 14 and received positive reviews from critics. It has grossed $761.9 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2024. On Monday, the film surpassed its predecessor’s $356.4 million domestic total and entered the top 10 Pixar movies globally. It has been almost three decades since its inception. So far, Pixar has generated over $16 billion in global box office revenue. Indeed, it’s a great feat. However, this doesn’t negate the struggle the animated house faced recently, with several movies going directly to Disney+ and the theatrical underperformance of films like “Lightyear” and “Elemental.”
Can ‘Inside Out 2’ Hit $1 Billion Success Worldwide?
Inside Out 2’s $761 million global earnings surpass The Incredibles‘ $631 million from two decades ago and are just behind 2009’s “Up,” which grossed $731 million. The film likely overtook “Up” on Monday and is set to surpass “Monsters University” ($743 million) and “Coco” ($796 million) soon. In its third weekend, it will also exceed the first Inside Out’s $850 million total. “Inside Out 2” is on track to reach $1 billion at the global box office, potentially joining an elite club of only four movies.
It isn’t just the animated films that are put behind “Inside Out 2,” but even movies by much-acclaimed filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” were also surpassed by this animated coming-of-age film. It’s currently the 27th highest-grossing animated film of all time and the third-biggest animated film of the post-pandemic era, behind “Minions: The Rise of Gru” ($939 million worldwide) and last year’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.3 billion worldwide). Inside Out 2″ has already overtaken the likes of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Kung Fu Panda 4.
Inside Out 2’s commercial reception is impressive, but its critical reception cannot be ignored either. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average rating of 7.6/10 and a fresh score of 90%. The website’s consensus reads: “Spicing things up with the wrinkle of teen angst, Inside Out 2 clears the head and warms the heart by living up to its predecessor’s emotional intelligence.“
The Daily Telegraph gave the film four stars out of five, praising the animation, metaphors, and wit while saying, “the cast-iron ontological brilliance of Docter’s original premise bears expansion well.” Variety praised Hawke’s performance as Anxiety and the film’s emotional impact, calling it “the most poignantly perceptive tale of the conundrums of early adolescence since Eighth Grade.“
Directed by Kelsey Mann, “Inside Out 2” tells the story of Riley’s emotions as they find themselves joined by new emotions that want to take over Riley’s head.
