Disney's 'Inside Out 2' could be the first billion-dollar movie of 2024

Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2" could be the first film since Warner Bros.' "Barbie" to top $1 billion at the global box office.

The animated feature has tallied $724.4 million worldwide as of Sunday, making it the highest-grossing film of 2024. Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment's "Dune: Part Two" previously held this year's record with $711.8 million.

"Inside Out 2" has yet to open in Japan, which contributed nearly $33 million to the $850.5 million global total of "Inside Out" in 2015.

"As a global phenomenon attracting moviegoers well beyond families and kids and a message that resonates and is relatable across all cultures and languages, 'Inside Out 2' is the rare film that is both a box-office sprinter and a marathon runner," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. "It is the perfect candidate for admission to the billion-dollar club."

While Disney's 2022 film "Avatar: The Way of Water" surpassed the billion-dollar mark on its way to a more than $2 billion haul, the company's Pixar studio hasn't seen a movie reach the benchmark since 2019's "Toy Story 4."

After the pandemic, both Walt Disney Animation and Pixar struggled to regain a foothold at the box office. The difficulties occurred in part because Disney opted to debut a handful of animated features directly on streaming service Disney+ during theatrical closures and even once cinemas had reopened.

Before "Inside Out 2," no Disney animated feature from Pixar or Walt Disney Animation had generated more than $480 million at the global box office since 2019.

The film snared another $100 million domestically over the weekend, an untypical 35% drop from its opening weekend. Films typically see a 50% to 70% drop in ticket sales from their debut