Pixar is finally back in racing form.
The Disney-owned animation studio’s 28th film, “Inside Out 2,” reached about $145 million in estimated North American ticket sales from Thursday night through Sunday, ending a cold streak that began in March 2020 , when theaters were 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 took in about $180 million in 2018.
“They’re back,” David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers, said of Pixar. “This is an exciting opening.”
Based on pre-release surveys that track audience interest, box office analysts expected “Inside Out 2” to gross about $90 million in the United States and Canada over the weekend. That total would be strong — on par with opening weekend ticket sales for the first “Inside Out” in 2015.
“Inside Out 2” sold an additional $125 million in partial overseas release, bringing its total worldwide opening to about $270 million, analysts said. The PG-rated film cost about $200 million to produce and at least another $100 million to market.
“Inside Out 2,” about a 13-year-old girl and the personified emotions inside her teenage-messed-up mind, received rave reviews. Ticket buyers gave the film an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls, the same rating as the first film in the franchise.
Pixar began to falter in March 2020, when “Onward” hit theaters at a time when coronavirus infections were rising. After that, Disney debuted three Pixar films in a row online — “Soul,” “Turning Red” and “Luca” — bypassing theaters altogether in favor of the company’s Disney+ streaming service.
All three received rave reviews from critics. Quality was not an issue. But Pixar’s connection to ticket buyers — its power as a big-screen brand — began to fade.
“Lightyear,” a spinoff from Pixar’s “Toy Story” series, marked the studio’s return to theaters in 2022. It crashed and burned at the box office. Plus, the reviews were harsh, at least by Pixar standards. Did the studio now also have a quality problem?
“Elemental,” a Pixar original that hit theaters last year, also received less than sterling reviews and, at least initially, flopped at the box office. But “Elemental” eventually bounced back, grossing a respectable $500 million worldwide.
Pixar has since overhauled its lineup, delaying another original film, “Elio,” which had been scheduled to hit theaters this year, and promoting sequels, including “Toy Story 5.” Last month, Pixar said it would stop making original shows for Disney+ as part of its exit and laid off 175 employees, or about 14 percent of its workforce. Disney had pushed Pixar to start making TV series as part of a larger effort — since abandoned — to flood Disney+ with content.
Disney used its streaming service as a sales tool for “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 since received a flurry of attention on Disney-oriented fan sites.
