An emotional win for theaters, Hollywood: ‘Inside Out 2’ scores massive $155 million opening

Hollywood’s summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the massive debut of Disney and Pixar’s “ Inside Out 2.” The animated sequel earned $155 million in ticket sales from 4,440 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Not only is it the second-highest opening weekend in Pixar’s 29 years of making films and the second-biggest animated opening ever (behind only the $182.7 million launch of “Incredibles 2” in 2018); It’s also the biggest of 2024, and since “Barbie.” With an estimated $140 million from international showings, “Inside Out 2” had a staggering, and record-breaking, $295 million global start.

Tony Chambers, who heads theatrical distribution for Disney, was confident that the film would do “extremely well.” But even he was surprised at how much it exceeded already high expectations.

“People go to the theaters for great movies,” Chambers said. “The reviews, the word of mouth just helped build this momentum … It’s becoming a bit of a phenomenon.”

Importantly, “Inside Out 2” audiences spanned ages and all demographics. Post-COVID, he said, breakout successes depend on attracting multicultural audiences.

The success is significant for Pixar, marking a much-needed return to form for a studio that has had a string of underwhelming launches including “ Elemental,” which did eventually become a success, and “ Lightyear,” which didn’t. It’s also vitally important for the greater Hollywood ecosystem and the health of theatrical exhibition, which had been running at a 26% deficit.

“Everybody needed this because success begets success,” said Chambers, who has been getting excited calls from exhibitors and fellow studios alike. “It’s great for the industry, great for Pixar and great for the business overall.”

Disney was already having a good summer, with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which this weekend was in third place in its sixth weekend with $5.2 million (bringing its global total to $374.5 million). And next up is “ Deadpool & Wolverine ” (July 26).

Kelsey Mann directed “Inside Out 2,” which picks up with Riley as she turns 13. That means the arrival of new emotions like Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and Envy ( Ayo Edebiri ) to Joy's (Amy Poehler) party. It got glowing reviews from critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and polled audiences who gave it an A CinemaScore, suggesting that this won’t be a first-weekend wonder. With kids out of school and an open market until “Despicable Me 4” enters the ring over the Fourth of July, “Inside Out 2” is just getting started.

“This is a monumental weekend for movie theaters,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

“Inside Out 2” is estimated to have cost around $200 million to produce, which does not account for the millions spent on marketing. Going into the weekend, it was tracking for a debut in the $90 million range, which would have been in line with “Inside Out’s” first weekend in June 2019. Even that would have been considered a terrific achievement, and enough to claim the biggest opening of the year — finally unseating March releases like “ Dune: Part Two ” and “ Godzilla x Kong.”

“For the entire industry that works for theatrical, this is a huge turning point for 2024,” said Daniel Loria of Boxoffice Pro. “This is the sort of weekend we’ve been waiting for.”

As the only major release of the weekend, its theatrical footprint was equally impressive playing on 400 IMAX screens, over 900 “premium large format” screens and over 2,500 3D screens.

This recommitment to theatrical comes after Disney sent several Pixar films straight to its streaming service, Disney+, over the pandemic including “Soul,” “Luca” and “Turning Red.” Last month, the New York Times reported that Pixar had decided to return its focus to feature films (and not producing shows for Disney+) and that it had laid off 14% of its workforce (about 175 employees).

“As important as this weekend is for the industry at large, for Pixar this is huge. They’ve been trying to get their groove back since the pandemic,” Dergarabedian said. “They’ve really come back big.”

Second place went to Sony's “ Bad Boys: Ride or Die, ” now in its second weekend with $33 million, down only 42% from its opening. In just 12 days, it's already earned over $112 million domestically and $214 million globally. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had crossed the $1 billion mark.

“Bad Boys'” success last weekend was the start of a higher-earning turnaround for the lagging summer movie season. For Hollywood, the summer season, which runs from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, usually represents about 40% of the yearly box office. The deficit is still significant, with ticket sales down 28% for the summer and 24% for the year (and this is still before “Barbenheimer”) but it's progress in a more promising direction nonetheless.

“We're not going to get there overnight,” Dergarabedian said. “But it’s good news for theaters. And we have some big movies on the way.”

On the ground, theater owners saw their cineplexes come to life this weekend.

“It has been magical,” said Jeff Whipple, a vice president for Megaplex Theaters. “We have seen literally generations of families brought together for this movie.”

Megaplex Theaters operates 15 locations and 173 screens in Utah and Southern Nevada. And the energy was palpable, Whipple said. Not only have families been hanging around after the showtimes to discuss the film; They’ve also been scoping out what’s coming next with kids taking pictures of the “Despicable Me 4” posters and displays and dads taking note of the “Deadpool & Wolverine” date.

“I think word is going to spread on this film and help draw people into theaters throughout the summer," Whipple said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Inside Out 2,” $155 million.

2. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $33 million.

3. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $5.2 million.

4. “The Garfield Movie,” $5 million.

5. “The Watchers,” $3.7 million.

6. “IF,” $3.5 million.

7. “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” $2.4 million.

8. “The Fall Guy,” $1.5 million.

9. “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” $760,000.

10. “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” $632,910.

Lewis Black, a cast member in "Inside Out 2," poses at the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Amy Poehler, a cast member in "Inside Out 2," poses at the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Amy Poehler, a cast member in "Inside Out 2," waves to photographers at the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ayo Edebiri, a cast member in "Inside Out 2," poses at the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ayo Edebiri, a cast member in "Inside Out 2," poses at the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Maya Hawke, a cast member in "Inside Out 2," poses at the premiere of the film at the El Capitan Theatre, Monday, June 10, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

This image released by Disney/Pixar shows, from left, Joy, voiced by Amy Poehler, Embarrassment, voiced by Paul Walter Hauser, Envy, voiced by Ayo Edebiri, Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, Disgust, voiced by Liza Lapira, Anger, voiced by Lewis Black (foreground), Fear, voiced by Tony Hale, and Sadness, voiced by Phyllis Smith, in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Disney/Pixar via AP)

This image released by Disney/Pixar shows, from left, Sadness, voiced by Phyllis Smith, Joy, voiced by Amy Poehler, Disgust, voiced by Liza Lapira, Fear, voiced by Tony Hale and Anger, voiced by Lewis Black, in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Disney/Pixar via AP)

This image released by Disney/Pixar shows, from left, Joy, voiced by Amy Poehler, background left, Anger, voiced by Lewis Black, Disgust, voiced by Liza Lapira, Envy, voiced by Ayo Edebiri, and Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Disney/Pixar via AP)

This image released by Disney/Pixar shows Joy, voiced by Amy Poehler, left, and Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, in a scene from "Inside Out 2." (Disney/Pixar via AP)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen’s funny bone was no laughing matter for a few fraught moments of another Bills victory.

Buffalo’s star quarterback, who is enjoying an MVP-caliber season, repeatedly shook his throwing hand and winced while trainers attended to his bruised right elbow during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 24-21 win over the New England Patriots.

“It took a good five to 10 minutes,” Allen said. “Just making sure, trying to get some blood flow back in there, some activation.”

Playing in frigid conditions — the temperature at kickoff was 8 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-13 Celsius) — didn’t help.

“When it’s cold like that, too, the more you leave it out, the number the whole hand gets," Allen said. "So it was a weird feeling. Just glad it’s gone now.”

Allen, who finished 16 of 29 passing for 154 yards with a touchdown and an interception, appeared to get hurt on a 7-yard run. On Buffalo's next play following a false start penalty, Allen threw a wobbling third-down pass that fell several yards away from intended receiver Dalton Kincaid.

“I don’t know if it was the elbow or the helmet or the ground, but lost some feeling in my hand,” Allen said. “Just hit the funny bone nerve and went to throw the ball and just had no feeling in my hand. So it’s a tough one.”

Allen didn’t miss a snap, although backup Mitchell Trubisky warmed up on the sideline while Allen tried to shake off the injury.

Buffalo’s defense gave Allen extra time to regain feeling when Taron Johnson recovered Drake Maye’s backward lateral in the end zone for a touchdown. The Patriots then had a five-play drive before punting the ball back to the Bills.

“Fortunately, it was a longer drive where I was able to get some feeling and sensation back in the hand,” Allen said. “But if we got a sudden change, I probably wouldn’t have been out there.”

Allen completed two of three passes after being hurt. He then closed out the game with a 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1. The win was the 75th of Allen’s career, tying him with Russell Wilson for the most by a quarterback in his first seven seasons.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said he watched Allen get checked out on the sideline and was confident in the training staff’s determination that Allen could return.

“They cleared him to go back and play,” McDermott said. “Our medical staff does a great job with, if it’s not safe for a player, they’re not going to put him back out there. I trust them, and they gave a green light to go back out there.”

This was the latest injury scare for Allen, who has proved durable while leading the Bills (12-3) to their fifth straight AFC East title. Buffalo still has an outside shot at chasing down Kansas City (14-1) for the top seed in the conference playoffs.

Allen spent four weeks on the injury report after hurting his non-throwing hand in the season opener but did not miss any time. He was evaluated for a concussion after hitting his head on the turf during a 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans in Week 5. Allen later revealed he rolled his ankle on the play and did not sustain a head injury.

Last week, following a 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions, the Bills quarterback had X-rays on his throwing shoulder after taking what he described as “a funky fall.”

Curiously enough, Sunday wasn’t even the first time Allen hurt his funny bone. He clutched his lower right arm in the huddle after banging his elbow on a run during the Bills’ 35-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. That time, Allen experienced more pain than numbness.

“It was bad,” Allen said. “Feels like your hand’s on fire.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the New England Patriots during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y.. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) congratulates Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) after a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Orchard Park, N.Y.. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)