Amy Poehler and Maya Hawke voice Joy and Anxiety, respectively, in Disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2.”
Disney | pixar
A big piece has been missing at the box office: family movies.
A handful of hits for children: universal “Super Mario Bros.” The main one has boosted ticket sales. But many family features debuted on streaming platforms rather than the big screen after the pandemic, or premiered so far apart on the calendar that any ticket sales momentum soon disappeared.
Over the past few months, a steady stream of family-friendly movies have hit theaters. Each release has built on the success of the last, revitalizing the box office and giving movie theater operators hope for a stronger second half of the year. disney and Pixar's “Inside Out 2” made an especially big splash, grossing $155 million during its opening weekend, a feat that helped restore the animation studio's reputation within the industry after a rough patch.
“Momentum is a huge factor” in ticket sales, said Chris Johnson, chief executive of Classic Cinemas, a Midwestern movie theater chain.
So far in 2024, the domestic box office is down 23% compared to last year and 40% less than in 2019. It currently stands at $3.08 billion, according to Comscore.
More kids' hits, like the upcoming “Despicable Me 4,” could be one of the keys to a box office recovery.
The “family” film genre is very broad. The definition varies even among box office analysts, with some saying the film's rating is the qualifier, while others suggest it depends on the content of the film itself.
“Family movies come in all shapes and sizes,” said Shawn Robbins, founder and owner of Box Office Theory. “We, as observers, sometimes limit the descriptor to animated films, or films of a certain classification, or those that are literally about a family of characters. However, they encapsulate a wide variety of stories.”
Robbins noted that family films can often include superhero films, live-action adventure films and comedies.
“Think about how many families it took for movies like Star Wars, the Marvel universe, 'Top Gun: Maverick' and 'Barbie' to make as much as they did,” he said. “The bottom line is what is friendly, accessible and relatable to as many demographics as possible.”
So while some families who attended “Inside Out 2” might consider films like “Twisters” or Universal's “Twisters.” Warner Bros.' Family movie “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is out later this year, others might opt to stick with Sony's “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” paramount “Transformers One” or “The Wild Robot” from Universal. The highly anticipated “Moana 2” arrives on Thanksgiving Day and a third “Sonic” movie arrives in December.
“No matter how you define it, the family movie genre was arguably the hardest hit by the pandemic, with parents understandably reluctant to go to a traditional movie theater during the height of that unfortunate situation,” Paul said. Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “Fast forward to 2024 and family movies have been the undeniable bright spot of what has been a very challenging summer.”
Before the pandemic, more than two dozen family movies hit theaters in 2019, with Disney's “Aladdin,” “The Lion King,” “Toy Story 4” and “Frozen II” accounting for four of the top 10 grossing films. of the world. year.
Less than a dozen family films were released in 2020. Due to production shutdowns due to the pandemic and double Hollywood labor strikes, the number of releases remains significantly below 2019 levels.
“2023, for us, was actually a record year, but it could have been a lot better,” Classic Cinemas' Johnson said, noting the lack of family fare. “You cannot ignore the family audience and its importance.”
A much needed boost
Johnson said he feels “re-energized” after the initial screening of “Inside Out 2.”
The film grossed another $22.2 million on Monday, 14% of its weekend and the second-best Monday ever for a Pixar film.
While it was clear there was appetite for the sequel, Johnson noted that he benefited from the recent releases of Supreme“IF,” which opened with $33 million, and sony“The Garfield Movie,” which opened with $24 million.
Families attending screenings of these films would have seen posters and cardboard cutouts promoting the upcoming release of “Inside Out 2” and likely saw a trailer for the film as part of the theater's upcoming attraction reel.
“'Inside Out 2' certainly had its own entity and was going to do well,” Johnson said. “But I think those introductions helped. I think the box office boost and the similar genre didn't [have an] impact and I can't wait for that to come to 'Despicable Me 4.'”
“Despicable Me 4,” which opens July 3, is expected to gross between $60 million and $80 million during its debut, on par with previous installments in the franchise, according to Comscore data. Dergarabedian agreed that the success of “Inside Out 2” could increase the potential of “Despicable Me 4.”
— Disclosure: Universal Pictures, which distributes “Despicable Me 4,” is owned by NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC.
