Box Office Preview: Pixar’s 'Inside Out 2' Surges on Tracking, Targets $90M U.S. Opening

Emotions are soaring at Pixar and DisneyPixar and Disney with the global box office launch of Inside Out 2 this weekend, fueled by an unexpected last-minute surge in tracking.

On Thursday, the National Research Group, Hollywood’s top tracking service, increased its domestic opening forecast for this summer's first animated blockbuster from $85 million to $90 million. Tracking has been notably inaccurate this year, particularly this summer, making the decision to release a higher number significant. (Disney, however, remains conservative with a forecast of $80 million to $85 million.)

At this rate, Inside Out 2 is poised to achieve the highest domestic opening of the year so far, overtaking Dune: Part II ($82.5 million).

The international outlook is also bright, as Inside Out 2 debuted in its first eight overseas markets on Wednesday, raking in $4.9 million.

Inside Out 2, alongside holdover Bad Boys: Ride or Die, aims to lift the box office from weeks of slump, which has resulted in a year-over-year revenue drop of over 24 percent. Illumination and Universal’s Despicable Me 4 and Disney and Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine are two other summer tentpoles expected to perform significantly.

If early forecasts hold true, Despicable Me 4 will surpass $100 million during its five-day debut over the Fourth of July holiday (opening on July 3). Tracking on Thursday indicated a five-day total of $110 million for the family film.

Should Inside Out 2 succeed, it will provide a much-needed lift for Pixar, which has faced several challenging years, including the previous Disney administration's decision to release three Pixar films directly to streaming.

Inside Out 2 is receiving rave reviews and is currently among the top five highest-rated Pixar films on Rotten Tomatoes with a 92 percent critics' score. Directed by Kelsey Mann, the sequel introduces a new ensemble of emotions to "head"-quarters as Riley, the young heroine, transitions into her teenage years. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust are uncertain about the arrival of Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment.

Amy Poehler leads a voice cast that includes Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Phyllis Smith, Ayo Edebiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Paul Walter Hauser, and Yvette Nicole Brown.

Mann directed Inside Out 2 from a script by Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, based on a story by Mann and LeFauve.