Inside out set a high bar when it was released to critical acclaim in 2015, and even won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 88th Academy Awards. But Pixar has managed to do the seemingly impossible by creating a follow-up film almost as noteworthy and successful as the first, if not more so, considering its opening weekend.
Inside out 2 is an animated coming-of-age comedy that takes place two years after the previous film and picks up with now 13-year-old Riley Andersen (Kensington Tallman) entering high school. And with this exciting and intimidating new phase of life comes new personified emotions such as envy (Ayo Edebiri), shame (Paul Walter Hauser), boredom (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and anxiety (Maya Hawke), which join the main returning team, Joy (Amy). Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Tony Hale), Anger (Lewis Black) and Disgust (Liza Lapira) to work together to influence Riley’s thoughts and actions.
With the aforementioned extra emotions as well as the high school atmosphere, Inside out 2 is a film with the entertainment value, nuance and relatability to attract a wider audience, which has been reflected in its earnings. After opening in US theaters on June 14, the film grossed $155 million domestically and another $140 million in just 38 international markets in its first few days. With total earnings of $295 million worldwide since opening weekend, Inside out 2 has established itself as the world’s biggest film opening in 2024 so far, and the second-best domestically opening animated film behind the Pixar title. incredibles 2.
Taking into account its current figures, Inside out 2 is poised to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year, if not outright the top spot. As it stands at the time of writing, the film is already the eighth highest-grossing title worldwide, with Dune: Part Two sitting on top with $711,844,358.
No matter how everything changes, it’s clear that Pixar has created another wonderful, must-see movie, so feel free to judge for yourself by watching it now in theaters or potentially later this summer to stream on Disney+.
