As if Inside Out 2 wasn’t already a massive success for Disney and Pixar, it just broke an impressive record.
It crossed $1 billion at the global box office over the weekend, becoming the fastest animated movie to reach the milestone in just 19 days, according to data from Comscore. It’s also the first movie of 2024 to hit $1 billion, as a film hasn’t crossed that theshold since Barbie last year.
As of Sunday, Inside Out 2 had grossed $469.3 million domestically and $545.5 million internationally. As Comscore notes, in just its third weekend, it’s already the 11th highest-grossing animated film of all time. It’ll likely climb that list in the coming weeks, especially as it has yet to open in a few international markets like Japan.
Inside Out 2 has already well outgrossed its predecessor, too, as the first Inside Out made $857 million over its entire worldwide box office run.
It was a strong weekend for the box office overall, as Inside Out 2 isn’t the only one running a victory lap. A Quiet Place: Day One had the franchise’s biggest global opening with $98.5 million, and with a reported budget of about $67.5 million and strong reviews, that puts it well on track to profitability.
A Much-Needed Win for Pixar
A lot was riding on Inside Out 2 for Pixar, Disney’s once-reliable animation studio that’s hit a rough patch as of late. After releasing a number of films nearly exclusively on Disney+ amid pandemic lockdowns from 2020-early 2022, Pixar returned to theaters with Toy Story spinoff Lightyear in June 2022.
That film, however, disappointed at the box office, grossing just $226 million worldwide. Elemental fared better last year, rebounding from a lackluster opening to eventually gross nearly $500 million globally, but Pixar still hadn’t approached its $1 billion glory days in some time.
The studio’s been struggling internally as well, beginning layoffs of 14% of its workforce in May. The plan, according to Pixar higher-ups, is to shift its focus from production for Disney+ back to theatrical feature films.
Pixar leadership has also expressed a desire to focus more on its tried-and-true IP, hinting at sequels for series like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. With Inside Out 2’s success, it’s likely Pixar won’t slow down on this sequel-heavy strategy.
Inside Out 2 benefits from positive reviews as well, and we gave it a 7/10 in our review. “It explains plenty about the confusing emotions associated with puberty, often in intelligent ways, but it rarely lets them be felt or experienced the way its predecessor did,” wrote Siddhant Adlakha.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.