‘Inside Out 2’ hits $1 billion at global box office in record time

This image released by Disney/Pixar shows, from left, Joy, voiced by Amy Poehler, background left, Anger, voiced by Lewis Black, Disgust, voiced by Liza Lapira, Envy, voiced by Ayo Edebiri, and Anxiety, voiced by Maya Hawke, in a scene from “Inside Out 2.” (Disney/Pixar via AP)

LOS ANGELES – Pixar‘s “Inside Out 2” has become the first film of the year to hit $1 billion at the global box office.

The Pixar Animation Studios film — which brings audiences back into the mind of Riley as she deals with a host of new emotions as a teenager — has crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office in 19 days of release, said the Walt Disney Company, which owns Pixar. That’s the fastest ever for an animated film.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have reached this phenomenal milestone in record time, and it once again proves that global audiences will come out for a great movie,” Tony Chambers, executive vice president, Theatrical Distribution, said. “The film’s remarkable success is a testament not only to the incredible creativity of the Pixar team but an example of moviegoing at its very best.”

“Inside Out 2” will be one of only 11 animated titles to have ever surpassed the $1 billion mark — and eight out of the 11 belong to Walt Disney Animation Studios or Pixar.

The box office achievement followed a hot streak in theaters in which the film had a record opening, a massive second weekend and tremendous weekday numbers showing how much “Inside Out 2” has become an event for audiences.

“Inside Out 2” is a sequel to the 2015 hit about the inner workings of a young girl’s mind. In the second installment, lead character Riley has become a teenager and is grappling with new emotions including anxiety and envy.

“Inside Out 2″ has also been a big hit with critics. The film is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with critics praising the film’s visuals, cast and clever yet in-depth storytelling. It also received an “A” CinemaScore and a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 96 percent.

“Inside Out 2” also continued its amazing run at the box office in North America, grossing $57.4 million in its third weekend in theaters to lead all films, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

The Pixar sequel beat out a strong challenge from “A Quiet Place: Day One,” which opened with $53 million, Comscore reported.

Director and star Kevin Costner’s ambitious western, “Horizon: An American Saga” opened with $11 million for third place.

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” took in $10.3 million Friday through Sunday in its fourth weekend, followed by the Indian Telugu-language epic “Kalki 2898 AD,” which opened with $5.4 million.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases, as estimated by Comscore, were “The Bikeriders” ($3.3 million), “The Garfield Movie” ($2 million), “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” ($1.7 million), “Jatt & Juliet 3 ($1.504
million) and “Kinds of Kindness” ($1.5 million).