Inside Out 2 becomes biggest animated film ever

Promotional still from Inside Out 2Disney

Inside Out 2 has taken $1.46bn (£1.13bn) so far, overtaking 2019's Frozen II

Steven McIntosh
Entertainment reporter

Inside Out 2 has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, six weeks after it was released in cinemas.

The film, a sequel to 2015's Inside Out, has so far taken $1.46bn (£1.13bn) at box offices worldwide.

That means it has overtaken Frozen II, which made $1.45bn in 2019.

Inside Out 2's total is likely to rise further in the coming weeks, and it is only just about to open in Japan.

The film has also overtaken last year's most successful film, Barbie, which took $1.45bn.

However, Inside Out 2 has not yet surpassed Disney’s 2019 remake of The Lion King, which earned $1.65bn (£1.28bn).

Technically, The Lion King is computer-generated but the studio classed it as a live-action remake, which means it is not considered an animated movie.

Disney

New emotions including Embarrassment (right) and Anxiety (centre) are introduced in the sequel

Overall, Inside Out 2 is now the 13th highest-grossing film of all time.

It has some way to go to catch up with the films at the top of that list - Avatar ($2.9bn, £2.2bn) and Avengers: Endgame ($2.7bn, £2.1bn).

About $601m (£466m) of Inside Out 2's running total was made in the US, while $861m (£668m) was taken in other countries, including $61m (£47m) in the UK.

Inside Out 2 is said to have cost around $200m (£155m) to make, not including additional costs such as marketing.

Its success marks something of a bounce-back for Pixar, which has struggled in recent years to reach its previous heights.

However, that is partly due to some films being released straight to streaming services during the pandemic, when many cinemas were closed.

Inside Out and its sequel focus on a group of characters, who represent emotions, inside a head of a young girl named Riley.

In the latest film, Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear are joined by new characters such as Anxiety, Envy and Embarrassment, as Riley becomes a teenager.

The top 10 animated films

  1. Inside Out 2 (2024) - $1.46bn

  2. Frozen II (2019) - $1.45bn

  3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - $1.36bn

  4. Frozen (2013) - $1.27bn

  5. Incredibles 2 (2018) - $1.24bn

  6. Minions (2015) - $1.16bn

  7. Toy Story 4 (2019) - $1.072bn

  8. Toy Story 3 (2010) - $1.068bn

  9. Despicable Me 3 (2017) - $1.032bn

  10. Finding Dory (2016) - $1.025bn

The figures are not adjusted for inflation, which puts older films at a disadvantage in the box office top 50.

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