Topline
Sequels and animations dominated the domestic box office through the first six months of 2024 amid a series of Hollywood flops, and no movie came close to the success of the Disney and Pixar sequel “Inside Out 2” or the Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya sci-fi “Dune: Part Two.”
Key Facts
Since its release earlier this month, “Inside Out 2,” Disney and Pixar’s sequel to its wildly successful 2015 animation, has grossed over $469 million at over 4,000 U.S. theaters, surpassing its predecessor and becoming one of the ten highest-grossing animated movies of all time.
In its first few weeks in theaters, the animation surpassed “Dune: Part Two,” the extraterrestrial sci-fi thriller based on the Frank Herbert classic, which has pulled in over $282 million since its release in March.
That performance nearly triples its 2021 predecessor, “Dune” which made just over $108 million since its release in the U.S., and another $298 million internationally, according to data from Box Office Mojo.
Despite its success, “Dune: Part Two” pales in comparison to last year’s “Barbie,” which has grossed a whopping $636.2 million since its release last July, and falls behind both “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($573 million), “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” ($351.1 million) and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ($319.5 million) through the first six months of 2023.
“Dune” and “Inside Out” were the only two movies to outpace 2023’s Barbie for biggest opening weekend, with Dune pulling in $81.5 million in its domestic opening and “Inside Out” grossing over $154.2 million in its first weekend.
Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies This Year (as Of June 30)
- “Inside Out 2” ($469.45 million)
- “Dune: Part Two” ($282.14 million)
- “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” ($196.35 million)
- “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($193.59 million)
- “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” ($168.16 million)
- “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” ($165.26 million)
- “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” ($113.32 million)
- “IF” ($109.82 million)
- “Bob Marley: One Love” ($96.89 million)
- “The Fall Guy” ($90.95 million)
Chief Critic
Critics generally applauded “Dune: Part Two,” giving it a 79/100 score on Metacritic and a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie received a 95% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, though it was not the year’s highest-rated movie. That coveted title belongs to “Ghostlight,” which received a perfect 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, out-pacing the retro horror film “Late Night with the Devil” (97%).
Contra
Despite the success of “Dune: Part Two” and “Inside Out 2,” 2024 has still presented its fair share of flops, led by Universal Pictures’ “Argylle,” which has grossed a disappointing $45.21 million since its Feb. 2 release. Columbia Pictures’ “Madame Web,” one of the year’s worst-reviewed movies, came in even lower, making just over $43.82 million since its release in February, according to Box Office Mojo.