‘Inside Out 2’ Turns Summer Box Office Upside Down - Weeks 7 & 8

 The last time Disney’s had a big animation hit was when Old Town Road was new. 

It’s been five years of “not a whole lot” from the studio that used to produce gold. They’ve released nine films since Frozen II with “OK-at-Best” as the only trophy they were winning. While certainly there were some good flicks in there, they couldn’t shake the impression that Disney/Pixar had stopped becoming “must-see” viewing now that Marios and Minions were running the box-office (and proving that “animated films” weren’t the problem). At last, it looks like the Mouse House has finally made something that clicked. 

Inside Out 2 exploded in its first weekend with a $154.2 million debut! That’s the second biggest animation opening of all-time, only behind the incredible Incredibles 2 start in 2018 of $182.7 million. For once, Disney won’t have to be worrying about Sadness and Anxiety, because Joy is the only character that matters right now. Amazeballs!

Unbelievably, the film had another trick up it’s sleeve… A second weekend of $101.2 million!!! Only a handful of films in history have topped $100 mill in their second weekend and now Inside Out 2 is one of them. As I’ve said before, even “healthy” blockbusters drop 50%-60% in their next weekend. Inside Out 2 dropped… rubbing eyes… 34%?! That’s insane. 

After only ten-days the film is already at $356.4 million. If you were looking for a sure-fire film that was going to be in the Final Top Five of the season, I think at this point it’s fair to play the Annie Potts bit from Ghostbusters: “We’ve got one!”

Meanwhile… Bad Boys: Ride or Die has been performing well and dropping around 40% each week. So far the film has ridden $147 million and looks like to out-race the Apes in the final tally.

Speaking of which, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is at $164 million current and will probably tap-out around $170 million. This certainly was successful enough to continue the series in the future as they’ve moved the series into the future. That’s more than can be said about Furiosa which sadly means we’ll never get Erectus: A Mad Max Saga.

The Top Five If Today Was Labor Day:

#1. Inside Out 2 - $356.4 million

#2. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - $164 million

#3. Bad Boys: Ride or Die - $147 million

#4. IF - $107 million

#5. The Fall Guy - $90 million

‘Bad Boys’ Still Coming 4 You - Weeks 5 & 6

With Gray May behind us, the June Gloom came out swinging with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. 

Bad Boys 4 took off pretty much where the last Bad Boys film left off. Debuting with almost $57 million, that’s just a few million less than Bad Boys For Life started in 2020. Fans were still into the pairing even if the script wasted no time in going off the rails. At the least the runtime didn’t overstay its welcome at a smooth 115 minutes. Any movie where I can sip my soda with confidence that I won’t have to make a bathroom run is a win for me these days!

Bad Boys: Ride or Die opened similarly to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. That film has been the clear star so far this season with a $150 million gross. Will this film reach those same treetops or will it be too bad for its own good before then? 

The other new movie, The Watchers, opened like a knock-off M. Knight Shyamalan film. While a $7 million debut for a new filmmaker's first film is fantastic, it’s not exactly the type of stuff Summer Blockbusters are made of. Even James Cameron’s first film was Piranha 2, so you’ve got time to figure it out, Ishana Night Shyamalan.   

As for the leftovers, IF and The Garfield Movie kept filling their coffers as kids were getting out of school. IF is For Real going to become a $100 million movie in another week and that looked Imaginary after its opening weekend. Meanwhile, Garfield kept stuffing himself and is up to $68 million by now. It may not reach as high as IF, but it’s already sped past Furiosa. Great, now she’s got another thing to be mad about! 

Speaking of stalling, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is still $110 million away from even its production budget! With $58 million so far, there’s zero chance this film is in it for the long haul. Enjoy your last week in the Top Five!

The Fall Guy seems to be falling in-line with a $90 million final gross as it’s now at $85 million and about to have its screens decreased with newer films being released. That’s not too far off from the director David Leitch’s last film Bullet Train which finished with $103 million. Maybe that’s just his speed zone. 

The Top Five If Today Was Labor Day:

#1. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - $150 million

#2. IF - $93.4 million

#3. The Fall Guy - $85 million

#4. Garfield - $68.6 million

#5. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - $58.7 million