It’s an emotional day for Pixar and parent company Disney.
On Wednesday, Inside Out 2 passed up Incredibles 2 ($1.242 billion) to become the top-grossing Pixar title of all time at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation. That puts it at No. 4 on the overall list of top-grossing animated films, and the climb is far from done, meaning it could ultimately rank No. 1.
Inside Out 2 finished Tuesday with $1.251 billion in global ticket sales, including $543.5 million in North America, where it’s already the third-biggest animated pic of all time, and $708 million internationally. It has surpassed Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight to rank No. 17 on the list of the top-grossing movies of all time domestically.
On the all-time animation list, the movie is within a day of overtaking Walt Disney Animation’s Frozen ($1.274 billion), and is also virtually assured of jumping Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.361 billion). Whether it can overtake Frozen II ($1.451 billion) is the biggest question mark, but many believe it can.
Inside Out 2 has yet to open in Japan, where the forecast is sunny (in South Korea, it has earned $49 million, a staggering sum that Disney believes bodes well for Japan). Throughout Asia, Europe and North America, the film is being fueled not only by families, but also by teenagers and younger female adults who grew up watching the first Inside Out, released in 2015.
The sequel is also doing historic business across Latin America. Outside of North America, Mexico leads all market with a record-smashing $91.5 million, followed by $58.9 in Brazil. Europe has produced better-than-expected returns, led by $52.4 million in the U.K./Ireland and followed by $41 million in Italy. It has even won over the German box office, which isn’t known for adoring animation (Germany’s total is $33 million).
Domestically, Inside Out 2 will pass up Super Mario ($575 million) next week on the all-time animation list, leaving only Incredibles 2 to conquer (that film topped out at $609 million in North America.
Directed by Kelsey Mann, the sequel introduces a whole new cast of emotions who are brought into “head”-quarters when the story’s young heroine, Riley, becomes a teenager. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust aren’t so sure how to feel about the arrival of Anxiety, Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment.
The movie has become a cultural talking point about the emotional changes puberty brings, and is being championed by many educators and psychologists as a teaching moment.
Inside Out 2, earning stellar reviews and a record-best audience score, has shattered numerous records since its release in early June, including crossing $1 billion club at the global box office in record time for an animated film, or just 19 days.
The Pixar film is by far the top-grossing film of 2024 to date, and the first movie since Barbie almost a year ago to join the billion-dollar club. Among animated movies, it’s the 11th film to achieve the milestone. Disney dominates that list, laying claim to eight of those releases, whether Pixar or Walt Disney Animation titles.
Inside Out 2 is a needed win for Pixar, which suffered a major setback when three of its movies were sent straight to streaming by the previous regime at Disney and before the return of Bob Iger as CEO.
Amy Poehler — who plays Joy — leads the ensemble voice cast. The roster of stars includes Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paul Walter Hauser and Yvette Nicole Brown.
In 2015, Inside Out topped out at $858.8 million globally.