‘Inside Out 2’ Gloriously Dethrones Disney’s Highest-earning Animated Film Yet After Latter Made Over $1 Billion Despite Questionable Reviews
- Inside Out 2 has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, surpassing a previous Disney remake.
- The film received a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 95% audience approval rating, significantly higher than the previous record-holder.
- Inside Out 2 also outperformed major 2024 releases, including Dune: Part Two and several big-ticket franchise films.
Following Disney’s acquisition of Pixar, the company has become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to making animated movies. Rather, the competition has of late taken an inwards approach with several of its own movies vying for the top spot at the box office. Cementing this fact while crowning itself as the highest-earning animated movie of all time is Inside Out 2.
The sequel to its 2015 predecessor, the movie’s plot continued with the story of Riley, now a teenager. While introducing new and complex emotions. A mass appeal factor coupled with a unique storyline enabled the film to just dethrone a Disney crown jewel, which despite its poor critical reception, had maintained its lead for nearly half a decade.
Inside Out 2 outperforms a Disney remake in all aspects
Released on June 14, 2024, Inside Out 2 debuted to a resounding reception at the box office. Moreover, its continued momentum has now landed it a global box office haul of $1.667 billion. Impressive in itself, the feat meant that the movie is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time surpassing Disney’s own 2019 movie, The Lion King, which stood at $1.662 billion.
On another aspect, Inside Out 2 also ranked far above The Lion King when it came to critical reception with the former’s 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes, dwarfing the 52% of the latter. Furthermore, unlike the long list of complaints attached to the story of the lions, the new rank holder amassed widespread praise for its thoughtful depiction of mature emotions.
2019’s The Lion King became a prime example of what critics labeled as a “cynical Disney money grab”. With almost the same plot as its 1994 original animation, the film only added visual enhancements and updated music. Thus, many critics simply recommended watching the original. Fortunately, Inside Out 2 avoided this mistake, gained overwhelmingly positive reviews, and also added tons of easter eggs.
Inside Out 2 leaves behind 2024’s biggest releases
In terms of head-to-head at the box office, Inside Out 2 has not only clinched the crown of being the highest-ever animated film but also earned the distinction of being the highest-grossing film of 2024, surging much ahead of some of the most anticipated releases of the year. For starters, it has grossed more than twice that of Dune: Part Two’s worldwide revenue despite the Denis Villeneuve movie’s swooning reception and massive hype.
Big-ticket franchise releases like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Bad Boys: Ride or Die, all sit below its collection. In the animation department, it beat Kung Fu Panda 4 and Despicable Me 4. Finally, on home turf as well, it sits comfortably ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine’s haul of $1.26 billion so far.
Inside Out 2 is running in cinemas and available for digital purchase on Prime Video and Apple TV.
