Pixar’sInside Out 2broke multiple records upon its theatrical release, and it’s doing so again on Disney Plus, which is a massive win for the iconic company after the last four years. SinceToy Storyhit theaters in 1995, Pixar has established itself as the gold standard for animation not only in quality of production, but in quality of narrative.Pixar’s original moviesare capable of inciting both laughter and tears, which is why they’re successful.Inside Out 2captured everything that made Pixar great, and in doing so restored the company to its throne atop the animation world.
Inside Out 2’s massive box office hauland universal acclaim could not have come at a better time, as Illumination and Dreamworks Animation have both released huge hits in recent years that called into question the dominance of the House of Mouse and its animation subsidiary, Pixar.Inside Out 2not only represented a return to the box office standards of yesteryear, but also a return to the universal fan and critical adoration that Pixar is known for. Its streaming success was anticipated upon its Disney Plus release, but the animated sequel has surpassed conservative viewership estimates already.
Inside Out 2’s Viewership On Disney Plus Continues Its Success For Pixar
After Breaking Box Office Records, It’s Dominating On Disney Plus
After smashing records as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time,Inside Out 2’s Disney Plus debutalso set the record for the platform in 2024with 30.5 million views in its first five days. Unsurprisingly, it’s the biggest theatrical streaming hit that Disney Plus has had in nearly three years. Viewers would need to go all the way back to 2021 to find a movie to match it, whenEncantohit the platform in December 2021 and went on to be the most-streamed movie of the year in 2022.
Inside Out 2grossed over $1.6 billion at the box office, but its instant streaming success might be an even bigger win for Pixar considering that Pixar has more movies coming in the near future.Inside Out 2’s viewership speaks to the movie’s rewatchability, which has typically been a hallmark of Pixar films. The strong first week for the animated sequel indicates thatInside Out 2should stand up over time, like its predecessors in theToy Story,Finding Nemo, andMonsters, Inc.franchises, which will keep audiences interested in the upcoming original Pixar movies likeElioandHoppers.
Pixar Desperately Needed Inside Out 2’s Record-Setting Success
With those new movies on the horizon,Pixar was in desperate need of a big box office and streaming win after a rough couple of years(at least, rough by Pixar’s standards). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney made the decision to release three Pixar movies exclusively on Dinsey Plus, skipping a theatrical release entirely. WhileSoul,Luca, andTurning Redall received positive reviews that were more in line with Pixar’s typicalRotten Tomatoesscores, they lacked the built-in audience created by a widespread theatrical release that movies likeEncantoorInside Out 2received.
March 6th, 2020
$175-$200 million
$146 million
88%
95%
June 17th, 2022
$200 million
$226 million
74%
84%
June 16th, 2023
$496.4 million
73%
93%
Book-ending those straight-to-streaming releases wereOnwardandLightyear,both of which fell short of Pixar’s typical box office and critical standards. While neither movie was a disaster by any means, when the benchmark is unparalleled animated hits likeToy Story 4orIncredibles 2, Onward’s $141.9 million box office gross andLightyear’s $226.4 million box office gross were undoubtedly disappointments. It should be noted thatOnward’s box office run was cut short by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but regardless of the reason, it did not fetch the return Pixar wanted.
Inside Out 2 Shows Why Pixar Movies Shouldn’t Have Gone Direct To Streaming
The Quality Of Pixar’s Three Direct-To-Streaming Movies Could Have Made Them Box Office Hits
Disney did releaseSoul,Luca, andTurning Redin theaters for brief runs in 2024, although none of the three produced anywhere near the box office gross they might have had if they hadn’t hit Disney Plus first.
IfInside Out 2proved anything, it was thatPixar still has legitimate box office weight on its own, and that the box office is influenced by quality and word-of-mouth;LightyearandElementalwere box office duds, but they boast two of the lowest Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer scores of Pixar’s entire filmography.Soul,Luca, andTurning Red, on the other hand, boast a 95%, 91%, and 95%, respectively. Had Disney decided to wait and release those movies in theaters, they could have had three massively profitable movies on their hands.
Inside Out 2
Cast
Inside Out 2 is the sequel to the 2015 original film, which starred a young girl named Riley with a head full of emotions. - literally. With Amy Pohler as Joy, Bill Hader as fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, and Lewis Black as Anger, the all-star cast brought to life the emotions that adolescents face as they grow, change, and adapt to new situations. This sequel, currently in development, will bring Amy Pohler back as Joy, with Riley, now a teenager.
