Inside Out 2 continues 2024 domination long after cinema release

The animated sequel is now one of the highest-grossing movies of all-time

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) (AP)

Inside Out 2 has continued to break records after the highly successful animated movie landed on Disney + on 25 September.

The sequel to the 2015 film has been the runaway box office triumph of 2024, earning $1.6bn worldwide (£1.2bn) worldwide at the time of writing.

The story follows 13-year-old Riley as she takes on new emotions - Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment which go up against the feelings from the first film, Joy, Fear, and Anger. It stars Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri and Amy Poehler.

However, Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling, who voiced Fear and Disgust in the original Inside Out, do not feature in the sequel, with the roles instead going to Tony Hale and Liza Lapira.

The popularity of the film has now transitioned to streaming becoming the most watched Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film on the platform since the premiere of Encanto in 2021.

Deadline reports that the film also became the No. 1 film premiere of all time in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

The movie opened in theatres on 14 June to an incredible box office of $295m worldwide (£221m) immediately making it the third highest-grossing animated movie ever. It has since taken the title of the highest-grossing animated movie ever, surpassing Frozen II and 2019’s The Lion King in the ranks.

It also leads Deadpool and Wolverine in the overall box office for 2024, with the Ryan Reynolds superhero-comedy raking in more than $1.3 bn at the time of writing. In comparison, box office performances for other movies over the summer include Alien: Romulus and It Ends With Us grossing around $300m (£228m).

If that wasn’t impressive enough, the film is also the eighth highest-grossing film of all time, overtaking The Lion King and Jurassic World.

The film has long surpassed the lifetime gross of the 2015 original film Inside Out, which opened with $90m ($68m) on its opening weekend and made $859m (£654m) worldwide.

(2023 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved)

Speaking about Inside Out 2’s box office success in June, Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said: “On behalf of movie theatre owners across the country and around the world, we want to congratulate Disney’s Inside Out 2 for grossing $1bn faster than any animated movie in history.

“The film’s stunning global success once again illustrates that audiences the world over will respond to compelling, entertaining movies, and that they want to enjoy them on the big screen.”