Inside Out 2’ Tops $1 Billion at Box Office

Inside Out 2 made history this weekend, joining the billion-dollar box office club and setting a new record among animated movies.

The Pixar sequel broke $1 billion at the worldwide box office on Sunday, June 30, after just 19 days of screenings. That makes the film the 11th animated movie ever to reach the milestone and the fastest one to blow past it.

Inside Out 2 is the first movie since the release of Barbie to bring in a billion dollars at the box office. Like the Inside Out sequel, Barbie debuted in the summer and went on to net more than $1.4 billion worldwide.

Inside Out 2 has already eclipsed the earnings of its predecessor, which made $858 million globally. Surpassing $1 billion is nothing new for Pixar, however, as the majority of the animated movies to make more than a billion dollars were made by Disney or a subsidiary. Eight out of the 11 films on the list were made with Disney dollars, including the highest-grossing animated film of all time: 2019’s The Lion King.

The sequel to 2015’s Inside Out follows the life of teenager Riley, whose emotions help pilot her through her life via a control room inside her head. Inside Out 2 sees the original emotions of Joy, Anger, Sadness, Fear and Disgust joined by the feelings of Ennui, Anxiety, Envy and Embarrassment. Amy Poehler, who reprised her role as Joy, told Us Weekly that working on the sequel was “a dream come true.”

“It’s pretty awesome to get to play her again,” Poehler, 52, told Us exclusively at the Inside Out 2 premiere in Los Angeles on June 11. “It’s pretty awesome to make another movie with this team. They are so talented. I love this character so much. I’m so proud to be in this movie.”

Tony Hale, who plays Fear in the movies, said he was “excited” to work on a movie that will “make people feel seen.”

“I was a kid in middle school. There wasn’t language for anxiety and all this kind of stuff,” he told Us. “[It’s nice to] kind of feel seen, but also to have a little more compassion for your emotions. You know, I spend a lot of my life trying to push them away. It’s like, no, they’re trying to help.”

Comedian Ron Funches, who voices one of Riley’s favorite childhood cartoons named Bloofy in the new film, noted how well the series brings generations together and marveled at his part in it.

“It’s just a beautiful thing, that it’s something that I can watch with my older son, Malcolm now and then I could watch with my younger son as he gets older,” he shared with Us. “And if they have kids, as you know, I could watch it with my grandchildren. And I think that’s something that you can’t buy.”