WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: INSIDE OUT 2 BECOMES HIGHEST-GROSSING FILM OF THE YEAR WITH MONSTER SECOND WEEKEND

On a weekend that might not have been the best for Austin Butler, one thing you aren’t hearing about is how people aren’t going to the movies anymore, or that movies are dead, or that theaters are doomed. Funny how a single movie can quash all those conversations with an assist from a second, but that’s the way it is. Sure, the box office is still off the pace from last year, but the Chicken Littles have gone back inside the coop for now. The anxiety-prone may come back when October rolls around, but it’s hard to engage those talks when a film is giving off serious Super Mario Bros. and maybe even Barbie vibes, which is precisely what 2024 needed.

In what should not be a surprise, Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 dominated in the top spot this weekend. How did it follow up the second best animated opening weekend in history? With the seventh-highest second weekend in box office history. That is what we were saying about Barbie last year. Now this sequel has surpassed that film’s $93 million second frame with $100 million. The mere 35% drop raises the film’s total to over $355 million, and it now has the 10th best 10-day total of all time. That’s ahead of Barbie’s $351 million and even Incredibles 2’s $349 million, but well ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $283 million (thank you summer weekdays). It also surpassed Dune: Part Two as the highest-grossing film of the year in just eight days. Sorry, Austin.

Among the 15 films to have grossed over $300 million in their first 10 days, Avengers: Age of Ultron is the only one not to reach $500 million, while 10 of the 15 grossed $600 million or higher. Incredibles 2 finished with $608 million; Inside Out 2′s overall pace is not only ahead of that film by $6 million, but its second weekend demolished that of Incredibles 2, which “only” racked up $80.3 million in its sophomore frame. As of now, Inside Out 2 is well on pace to become the 16th film in history to surpass $600 million at the domestic box office. Meanwhile the film is already at $724 million worldwide (also passing Dune: Part Two) and should easily become the first billion dollar film of 2024.

In a truly lovely surprise, Josh Margolin’s Sundance darling Thelma got into the top 10 with $2.2 million. Magnolia (and theaters) had the confidence to create their first wide opening weekend ever with the film in 1,290 venues. The gross bested the limited release of 2011’s Goon, which opened to $1.23 million in 241 locations. It was second only to the 2004 release of Woman Thou Art Loosed, which made $2.5 million in 408 theaters. It’s been a good year for indies taking chances in a limited marketplace, as we have seen IFC score two of their biggest openings with Late Night with the Devil ($2.8 million) and In a Violent Nature ($2.1 million) and Neon recording their best start ever with Immaculate ($5.3 million). They have clearly received the memo, and audiences are rewarding them with the options they are giving them. Don’t forget to support your indies, theaters.

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: INSIDE OUT 2 BECOMES HIGHEST-GROSSING FILM OF THE YEAR WITH MONSTER SECOND WEEKEND

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