Joyful? Ecstatic? Elated? Take your pick.
Pixar’s Inside Out 2 is on fire at the global box office, where it grossed a record-shattering $100 million domestically and $164.4 million overseas in its second weekend to finish Sunday with $724.4 million in ticket sales to become the top-grossing film of the year after racing past Dune: Part Two ($711. million).
The animated tentpole — about the emotions inhabiting a 13-year-old girl — is among an elite group of films that have earned $90 million or more in their second weekend of play at the domestic box office. Inside Out 2 enjoyed the biggest sophomore outing of any animated film domestically and the seventh-biggest of any film behind such behemoths as installments in the Avengers, Star Wars and Jurassic World series. It even earned more than Barbie, which grossed $93 million in its second outing.
Inside Out 2‘s tally stands at $355.2 in North America, where it fell a scant 35 percent, the best hold of any film in history that opened to $150 million or more. At 40 percent, Star Wars: The Force Awakens previously held that distinction. Overseas, Inside Out 2 has raked in $369.4 million, and it still has major markets yet to open. Among new territories where it launched over the weekend, it scored the second-biggest opening of all time in both Brazil and Spain. It even showed signs of life in China, where it opened to $10.3 million (generally speaking, studios no longer count on China for big numbers).
The summer’s other major animated tentpole, Universal and Illumination’s Despicable Me 4, launched to franchise-best numbers in its first four international markets ahead of its domestic debut over the July Fourth holiday, although it still couldn’t beat Inside Out 2 in Australia, where it opened to $4.3 million, or in Spain.
Inside Out 2 marks a win for Disney’s film empire and a major comeback for Pixar, and is almost assured of becoming the first title since Barbie to join the $1 billion club at the global box office.
Thanks to Inside Out 2 and also Sony’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die, reteaming Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, the box office has rebounded for the first time this year after a dramatic downturn. Overall domestic revenue has been up for the first time over last year for two consecutive weekends in a row.
Bad Boys 4 easily stayed at No. 2 in North America with an estimated haul of $18.8 million in its third weekend for a domestic tally of nearly $150 million through Sunday, or $146.9 million. It fell just 44 percent. Overseas, the action comedy took in another $24 million for a foreign total of $142 million and a hearty $289.1 million worldwide.
Among new offerings, Focus Features and New Regency’s The Bikeriders opened in third place with $10 million, on the high end of expectations. Directed by Jeff Nichols, the movie follows the rise and fall of a motorcycle gang in the 1960s and stars Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy. Focus’ marketing team succeeded in getting older males, particularly in the middle of the country.
Russell Crowe starrer The Exorcism also opened nationwide, but failed to scare up much business. From Miramax, the film opened to an estimated $2.4 million, one of the worst wide launches of Crowe’s career. The movie, which got slapped with a D CinemaScore, stars Crowe as an actor who starts to behave irrationally on the set of his latest horror film, prompting his daughter to investigate whether something more sinister is afoot. Vertical is distributing and marketing Exorcism domestically.
The specialty box office also made headlines.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest film, Kinds of Kindness, opened in five locations in New York and Los Angeles. The movie, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, stars Jesse Plemons, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau and Mamoudou Athie. Kinds of Kindness is reporting a per-theater average of $70,000, the best average of the year to date for a limited release.
Filmmaker Josh Margolin’s Thelma also opened, but opted to go wide. The specialty pic grossed a solid $2.2 million. Magnolia landed North American rights to the June Squibb comedy out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Squibb stars opposite Fred Hechinger and the late Richard Roundtree.
