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Hollywood\u2019s summer movie anxieties gave way to joy this weekend with the massive debut of Disney<\/a> and Pixar\u2019s \u201c\u00a0Inside Out 2<\/a>.\u201d The animated sequel earned $155 million in ticket sales from 4,440 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.<\/p>\n Not only is it the second-highest opening weekend in Pixar\u2019s 29 years of making films and the second-biggest animated opening ever (behind only the $182.7 million launch of \u201cIncredibles 2\u201d in 2018); It\u2019s also the biggest of 2024, and since \u201cBarbie.\u201d With an estimated $140 million from international showings, \u201cInside Out 2\u201d had a staggering, and record-breaking, $295 million global start.<\/p>\n Tony Chambers, who heads theatrical distribution for Disney, was confident that the film would do \u201cextremely well.\u201d But even he was surprised at how much it exceeded already high expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople go to the theaters for great movies,\u201d Chambers said. \u201cThe reviews, the word of mouth just helped build this momentum \u2026 It\u2019s becoming a bit of a phenomenon.\u201d<\/p>\n Importantly, \u201cInside Out 2\u201d audiences spanned ages and all demographics. Post-COVID, he said, breakout successes depend on attracting multicultural audiences.<\/p>\n The success is significant for Pixar, marking a much-needed return to form for a studio that has had a string of underwhelming launches including \u201c\u00a0Elemental<\/a>,\u201d which did eventually become a success, and \u201c\u00a0Lightyear<\/a>,\u201d which didn\u2019t. It\u2019s also vitally important for the greater Hollywood ecosystem and the health of theatrical exhibition, which had been\u00a0running at a 26% deficit<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody needed this because success begets success,\u201d said Chambers, who has been getting excited calls from exhibitors and fellow studios alike. \u201cIt\u2019s great for the industry, great for Pixar and great for the business overall.\u201d<\/p>\n Disney was already having a good summer, with \u201cKingdom of the Planet of the Apes,\u201d which this weekend was in third place in its sixth weekend with $5.2 million (bringing its global total to $374.5 million). And next up is \u201c\u00a0Deadpool & Wolverine<\/a>\u00a0\u201d (July 26).<\/p>\n Kelsey Mann directed \u201cInside Out 2,\u201d which picks up with Riley as she turns 13. That means the arrival of new emotions like Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and Envy (\u00a0Ayo Edebiri<\/a>\u00a0) to Joy\u2019s (Amy Poehler) party. It got glowing reviews from critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and polled audiences who gave it an A CinemaScore, suggesting that this won\u2019t be a first-weekend wonder. With kids out of school and an open market until\u00a0\u201cDespicable Me 4\u201d enters the ring<\/a>\u00a0over the Fourth of July, \u201cInside Out 2\u201d is just getting started.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a monumental weekend for movie theaters,\u201d said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.<\/p>\n \u201cInside Out 2\u201d is estimated to have cost around $200 million to produce, which does not account for the millions spent on marketing. Going into the weekend, it was tracking for a debut in the $90 million range, which would have been in line with \u201cInside Out\u2019s\u201d first weekend in June 2019. Even that would have been considered a terrific achievement, and enough to claim the biggest opening of the year \u2014 finally unseating March releases like \u201c\u00a0Dune: Part Two<\/a>\u00a0\u201d and \u201c\u00a0Godzilla x Kong<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor the entire industry that works for theatrical, this is a huge turning point for 2024,\u201d said Daniel Loria of Boxoffice Pro. \u201cThis is the sort of weekend we\u2019ve been waiting for.\u201d<\/p>\n As the only major release of the weekend, its theatrical footprint was equally impressive playing on 400 IMAX screens, over 900 \u201cpremium large format\u201d screens and over 2,500 3D screens.<\/p>\n This recommitment to theatrical comes after Disney sent several Pixar films straight to its streaming service, Disney+, over the pandemic including \u201cSoul,\u201d \u201cLuca\u201d and \u201cTurning Red.\u201d Last month,\u00a0the New York Times reported<\/a>\u00a0that Pixar had decided to return its focus to feature films (and not producing shows for Disney+) and that it had laid off 14% of its workforce (about 175 employees).<\/p>\n \u201cAs important as this weekend is for the industry at large, for Pixar this is huge. They\u2019ve been trying to get their groove back since the pandemic,\u201d Dergarabedian said. \u201cThey\u2019ve really come back big.\u201d<\/p>\n Second place went to Sony\u2019s \u201c\u00a0Bad Boys: Ride or Die,<\/a>\u00a0\u201d now in its second weekend with $33 million, down only 42% from its opening. In just 12 days, it\u2019s already earned over $112 million domestically and $214 million globally. As of Friday, the four-film franchise had crossed the $1 billion mark.<\/p>\n \u201cBad Boys\u2019\u201d\u00a0\n