Credit: Warner Bros., Disney (Edit ITM)The Walt Disney Company may potentially topple Timothée Chalamet’s epic sci-fi franchise.
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The Walt Disney Company seeks to inject some excitement into the box office this summer with two highly anticipated films, Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2.
The disastrous performance of George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and the disappointing reception to The Fall Guy have instilled panic in many about the state of the box office and movie theaters in general, but both Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine are poised to bring in huge amounts of cash if everything goes right for Disney.
Inside Outs’s biggest competition will be Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth installment in Sony’s Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-led buddy-cop action comedy. The film managed to shoot well past $50 million on its opening weekend, indicating the franchise is still popular decades after the original Bad Boys released in 1995.
There’s no doubt that Disney is hoping for Inside Out 2 to dominate the box office this summer, with previous Pixar releases coming in well under expectations. Pixar’s Luca (2021) and Lightyear (2022) were some of the biggest box office bombs the company had seen. Recent Walt Disney Animation projects like Strange World (2022) and the live-action Haunted Mansion (2023) did not fare any better, both losing significant money for the company.
Disney Pixar’s Inside Out 2 marks an exciting time for Disney animation, with the film breaking records for the company months ahead of its release. While most Pixar films can be considered iconic in their own way, few projects reached quite the heights of the original Inside Out in 2015.
This film introduced audiences to Riley and her list of emotions, creatively telling a story about both her and the beings that controlled her thoughts and feelings.
It was a heartwarming and heartwrenching story that resonated with audiences in an important way, and a follow-up seemed inevitable. However, it would take nearly a decade for Pixar to release Inside Out 2, with excitement at an all-time high for the sequel.
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This excitement can be measured in numbers, with Inside Out 2 set to break box office records this year. According to Variety, Inside Out 2 is tracking to earn between $80 and $90 million during its domestic opening weekend.
If Inside Out 2 manages to achieve these numbers, it will have the biggest opening weekend of the year, taking over Dune: Part Two‘s spot.
While 2024 features a long list of exciting films, Dune: Part Two stands above the rest, both in terms of scope and scale, as well as sheer pop culture power. The Timothée Chalamet-led sci-fi epic is the middle chapter in a planned trilogy of films from director and writer Denis Villeneuve and managed to scoop up a considerable chunk of change.
Following its release earlier this year, Dune: Part Two generated over $700 million, nearly doubling the gross of the first Dune film in 2021.
Twitter/X user reshared the news, prompting responses from fans of both franchises.
‘INSIDE OUT 2’ is tracking to earn $80M-$90M on its domestic box office opening weekend. Potentially dethroning ‘Dune: Part Two’ and becoming the biggest opening of 2024.
‘INSIDE OUT 2’ is tracking to earn $80M-$90M on its domestic box office opening weekend.
Potentially dethroning ‘Dune: Part Two’ and becoming the biggest opening of 2024.
(Via: https://t.co/ErLesMxicZ) pic.twitter.com/zf689HNdYh
— The Hollywood Handle (@HollywoodHandle) June 11, 2024
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User Bellblah1 said, “That’s good but I know the industry is putting a lot of pressure on this film to crack 100m debut since there haven’t been yet. The BO normally has about 2-4 by now it’s almost July !”
That’s good but I know the industry is putting a lot of pressure on this film to crack 100m debut since there haven’t been yet. The BO normally has about 2-4 by now it’s almost July !
— Batchump1 (@Bellblah1) June 11, 2024
User iverson_jo70544 said, “It’s almost here, plus there isn’t much competition this month to be honest. So it should do at least good.”
It’s almost here, plus there isn’t much competition this month to be honest. So it should do at least good.
— Josh Iverson (@iverson_jo70544) June 11, 2024
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Inside Out 2 follows the events of the original film, with emotion-filled Riley becoming a teenager. Inside Out acted as a coming-of-age story, but Inside Out 2 will double down on this considerably. Parents should know that Inside Out 2 will focus on many more teenager-specific problems, with Riley going through puberty in the film and encountering even more complex problems.
Just like the original film, Inside Out 2 features an all-star cast, with some of Hollywood’s most up-and-coming names joining the franchise. Maya Hawke will play Anxiety, who is described as an anxious, jittery livewire. Ayo Edebiri will play Envy, Adèle Exarchopoulos will play Ennui, and Paul Walter Hauser will play Embarrassment.
In addition to the film’s already exciting premise, Inside Out 2 marks a big change for Pixar and Disney as well. It was revealed earlier this year that Inside Out 2 featured the largest team ever assembled at Pixar, setting a record for the company.
This list of new emotions will join the now-iconic cast featured in the first film, with Amy Poehler reprising her role as Joy, The Office icon Phyllis Smith returning as Sadness, and Lewis Black returning for Anger.
Fear and Disgust will also be returning, though the characters’ original voice actors have departed from the film. Fear, who Bill Hader originally portrayed, will now be played by Tony Hale. Mindy Kailing’s Disgust will be replaced by Liza Lapira.
Disney describes Inside Out 2 as follows:
Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
Maya Hawke lends her voice to Anxiety, alongside Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Tony Hale as Fear, and Liza Lapira as Disgust. Directed by Kelsey Mann and produced by Mark Nielsen.
Pixar’s Inside Out 2 releases in theaters June 14, 2024 and will be made available on Disney+ at a later date.
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Disney’s impressive box office predictions don’t end with Inside Out 2. The previously mentioned Deadpool & Wolverine will most likely dominate the summer box office as well when it releases in July, with pre-sale tickets already breaking records for theater chains and Disney.
The third entry into Marvel Studios’ Deadpool franchise will undoubtedly have major implications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team up for an absolutely wild journey.
The film is the third installment of Marvel’s irreverent action comedy centered on “The Merc with a Mouth,” Deadpool. Ryan Reynolds returns to the role of Wade Wilson once again, this time teaming up with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine as the two embark on a Multiverse adventure filled with action, comedy, and countless cameos.
Cameos have been a big talking point in the months leading up to Deadpool and Wolverine’s release, with several former Marvel superheroes rumored to make an appearance in the film.
Hollywood icons like Halle Berry and Ben Affleck are expected to join in on the action, as are other characters from past X-Men films. One of the wildest rumors claimed pop sensation Taylor Swift would also show up in the film, making her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Dazzler, though these rumors were recently shut down.
Not much is known about the plot of the film, with Marvel describing Deadpool & Wolverine as follows:
Wolverine is recovering from his injuries when he crosses paths with the loudmouth, Deadpool. They team up to defeat a common enemy.
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Disney’s slate of films continues to become more exciting in 2025, with multiple titles from Marvel Studios set to release. Fans will be introduced to Marvel’s first family with The Fantastic Four, which marks the introduction of four new faces for Marvel. Vanessa Kirby will play Susan Storm, with Stranger Things‘s Joseph Quinn playing Johnny Storm.
Pedro Pascal will portray Mister Fantastic, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is set to play The Thing. Paul Walter Hauser, an actor who has worked with Disney previously in 2021’s Cruella as well as the upcoming Inside Out 2, has also been tapped to play a role in The Fantastic Four, though the role remains a mystery.
Also releasing in 2025 is Marvel’s continuation of its Captain America franchise, with the character formerly known as Falcon, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), taking over the role of Captain America himself. Captain America: Brave New World is arguably one of the more interesting films to come from Marvel and Disney, facing extensive shoots and countless production troubles.
The film has been renamed several times and was originally intended to be released in 2023. A 2024 release date was settled, though this came and went, with Marvel Studios revealing Captain America: Brave New World would finally hit theaters in 2025.
What upcoming Disney film are you most excited to watch?