While 2024 has had a plethora of extremely successful movies, none of them have been able to reach the same heights as the enormous success ofInside Out 2, a sequel to the 2015 Pixar hitInside Out. While that may change with the release of films likeMoana 2,Inside Out 2’s achievement cannot be understated. Although this is obviously a good thing for Pixar, the film’s success now means that apotentialInside Out 3has a much higher hill to climb than this sequel did.
Inside Out 2had a great cast, a heartwarming story, and Pixar brand recognition, which all accounted for its huge success. It told the story of Riley as she was getting older, grappling with all the things that teenagers struggle with, and combined with thegreat emotions thatInside Outis known for, the film seemed destined for success. Now, with a third film on the horizon, the only question that remains is how much the sequel can capitalize on that success as well.
Inside Out 2 Blew Past Every Box Office Expectation With Record-Setting $1.6 Billion Performance
No One Expected The Film To Succeed As Well As It Did
While the originalInside Outfilm was a huge success, making over $850 million in 2015, the film landscape has changed since then. Therefore, even thoughInside Out 2was likely always going to be successful, whether it would be able to match the first film was up in the air. However, when the Pixar sequel was released, pretty much every prediction for it was wrong, as it annihilated every expectation. The IP recognition tied to these new ideas allowedInside Out 2to break multiple recordsand become the highest-grossing animated movie ever.
Inside Out 2is now the highest-grossing animated movie of all time with $1.69 billion, beatingFrozen 2’s previous record of $1.45 billion.
Inside Out 2’s success was due to many different factorsthat together piled up to keep its positive streak going. The film was released in the summer, so kids were out of school and could go see a movie at any time, and it was from a known franchise that people already knew they enjoyed. However, the biggest piece of the puzzle was thatInside Out 2got great reviewsand word of mouth, convincing the people who may have otherwise just waited for it on streaming to go and see it as soon as possible.
Inside Out 3’s Box Office Will Now Have Expectations To Match Inside Out 2
The Next Film Will Be Expected To Live Up To The Previous
While a big Pixar franchise sequel will always have pretty significant expectations when it comes to the box office, thehuge success ofInside Out 2means that the sequel will have similar expectations placed upon it. Pixar has not been in as rough of a shape as Disney Animation Studios recently, but considering the few misses they have had, particularlyLightyear,the studio wants to keep pumping out movies that can do whatInside Out 2did, and nowInside Out 3will have to be one of those projects.
WhetherInside Out 3will be able to match or surpass the second film very much remains to be seen, as the movie isn’t even close to coming out yet.
Even outside of Pixar’s specific woes, the search for constant growth in the film industry means that if something exceeds all expectations, the expectations for the next one will be brought up to match, even if it is unrealistic. While that is a natural reaction to have when something succeeds, it doesn’t always hold, and whetherInside Out 3will be able to match or surpass the second film very much remains to be seen, as the movie isn’t even close to coming out yet.
Inside Out 3 Can Still Be A Major Box Office Hit Without Beating Inside Out 2
It Doesn’t Have To Beat Inside Out 2 To Be A Success
While constant growth is a big factor in deciding how well something needs to do at the box office, there are more objective measures of success for certain films, depending on the production factors and cost. WhileInside Out 3making hundreds of millions of dollars less than the previous film sounds bad,there is no world where a film making $1.2 billion as opposed to $1.6 billion is seen as a failure, even if it is much less relative to thebox office domination ofInside Out 2.
Inside Out 2’s New Emotions Replaced All But 1 Of Riley’s Original Feelings
Inside Out 2 includes Riley’s five original emotions as well as four new emotions that attempt to replace the originals when Riley becomes a teenager.
While a large drop in the box office is significant, and shows that a film is not getting the same amount of attention as the previous one, potentially meaning that interest in the series as a whole is dropping, there is still an amount of success that can be had without breaking every record that was set. The massive and unexpected success ofInside Out 2likely means that even if the next film can’t beat its record, there is still a metric of success outside of that. Still, the 2024 sequel raises the bar for Pixar.
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.
