Pixar is finally back in fighting form.
The Disney-owned animation studio’s 28th film, “Inside Out 2,” reached $155 million in estimated ticket sales in North America from Thursday night through Sunday, ending a cold streak that began in March 2020, when theaters closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. .
It was the second-biggest opening weekend in Pixar’s 29-year history, behind only the superhero sequel “Incredibles 2,” which grossed about $180 million in 2018.
“They’re back,” says David A. Gross, a film consultant who is publishing a book the news On the box office numbers, he said of Pixar. “This is an exciting opening.”
Based on pre-release polls that track audience interest, box office analysts expect “Inside Out 2” to gross about $90 million in the United States and Canada over the weekend. That total would have been strong — on par with opening weekend ticket sales for the first “Inside Out” film in 2015.
“Inside Out 2” sold an additional $140 million in partial overseas release, bringing its total worldwide opening to about $295 million, analysts said. The PG-rated film cost an estimated $200 million to produce and at least another $100 million to market.
“Inside Out 2,” about a 13-year-old girl and the emotions embodied inside her jumbled puberty mind, received exceptional reviews. Ticket buyers gave the film an A grade in CinemaScore polls, the same score as the first film in the franchise.
Pixar began to falter in March 2020, when Onward hit theaters as coronavirus infection rates rose. Disney then debuted three Pixar films in a row online — “Soul,” “Turning Red” and “Luca” — bypassing theaters entirely in favor of the company’s Disney+ streaming service.
All three received strong reviews from critics. Quality was not an issue. But Pixar’s connection with ticket buyers — its power as a big-screen brand — is beginning to fade.
“Lightyear,” a spin-off from Pixar’s “Toy Story” franchise, marked the studio’s return to theaters in 2022. It crashed and burned at the box office. Furthermore, the reviews were shoddy, at least by Pixar standards. Is the studio now having a quality issue as well?
“Elemental,” a Pixar original film released in theaters last year, also received less than sterling reviews and, at least initially, faltered at the box office. But “Elemental” eventually recovered, collecting $500 million worldwide.
Pixar has since overhauled its production line, delaying another original film, “Elio,” which was scheduled to hit theaters this year, and pushing forward sequels, including “Toy Story 5.” Last month, Pixar said it would stop making original shows for Disney+ as part of its retrenchment, and laid off 175 employees, or about 14% of its workforce. Disney has pushed Pixar to start producing TV series as part of a broader effort — since abandoned — to flood Disney+ with content.
Disney specifically used its streaming service as a sales tool for the movie “Inside Out 2,” which was released exclusively in theaters. On Wednesday, Disney+ subscribers received an email alert about a promotion with Fandango, the online movie ticket seller: Get a $10 credit to use toward a ticket to Inside Out 2. The offer, which ends in July, has received a lot of attention. On fan sites directed at Disney.
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