Inside Out 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to Pixar’s modern classic Inside Out, is shaping up to be a hit at the domestic box office. According to long-range tracking by Boxoffice Pro, the film is expected to have a domestic opening weekend between $80 million and $115 million. If it lands on the higher end of its projections, it would become the fourth-best opening ever for a Pixar movie domestically.
The movie opens over the tried-and-true Father’s Day weekend of June 14-16, marking a significant comeback for Pixar in the post-Covid era. This follows the opening weekends of last summer’s Elemental ($29.6M) and the 2022 Toy Story spinoff Lightyear ($50.5M).
Inside Out 2 continues the story by returning to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley. The headquarters of her emotions—Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Tony Hale), and Disgust (Liza Lapira)—are undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! However, they aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke) shows up. The sequel introduces additional troublemaking Emotions: Envy (Ayo Edebiri) and Anxiety (Maya Hawke).
The first 35 minutes of Inside Out 2 were unveiled to exhibitors at April’s CinemaCon, and it received great laughs. Directed by Kelsey Mann, the film promises to be a step up from the first movie, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The original Inside Out was directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen.
While there’s no official word on an Inside Out 3, Amy Poehler has expressed her desire for more films in the franchise, suggesting they could follow Riley’s life every couple of years, much like the documentary series Seven Up chronicled the lives of individuals at various ages. Whether or not that happens, fans are eagerly awaiting the return to Riley’s mind in Inside Out 2!
