"Beyond Marketing and Explanation: How Inside Out and Despicable Me Saved the Summer"

Hollywood was in disarray five weeks ago. An array of highly anticipated blockbusters like The Fall Guy, Furiosa and IF had disappointed audiences and the mood in Hollywood seemed dismal. Last time early summer box-office takeaways had dropped this much was in 2000; today however, children’s films are breaking multiple records at box offices all around. Three weeks ago saw the release of Inside Out 2, Pixar’s follow up to their 2015 animated feature about 11-year-old Riley’s emotions vying for control within her brain, in the US market alone. Even optimistic forecasts anticipated it making $80m (PS62m). At its release weekend alone, it made $155m (PS121m). Even on its second weekend ticket sales only declined 35% (as opposed to Barbie which experienced 43% declines over that same time period in 2023). Last week, Pixar’s latest film became the fastest to ever gross over one billion dollars globally – in just 19 days – though in America its reign will come to an end this weekend, when another children’s animated sequel outsells it and takes over the top slot on chart lists. Despicable Me 4 opened to an incredible $27m (PS21m) opening weekend take in the US on Wednesday and is set for an estimated five-day take of $120m over Independence Day holiday (it opens in UK next Friday). “Success begets success”, according to Steven Gaydos, executive editor of Variety. Parents who enjoyed taking their children to Inside Out 2 may now feel inclined to repeat that experience, with my six-year-old rating it as his favorite movie while my mom prefers something else entirely. “A rising tide lifts all boats,” as they say; my six-year-old thinks Inside Out 2 was funniest of its genre ever and vice versa for my mom who finds it quite moving. Dave Holstein’s screenplay for Inside Out 2 remains mysterious in terms of both scale and speed of its success; its rapid triumph being an illustration of “what can happen when everyone wants to watch one movie at the same time”, says Gaydos. Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination (Universal Pictures’ production studio behind Despicable Me), agrees: “People were craving cinema.” “Once people saw that Inside Out 2 would deliver what they’d been waiting for, you saw this kind of spontaneous explosion,” Chris Meledandri says in this Ethan Miller/Getty Images photograph taken of Chris. Even Inside Out’s writers were taken aback. “It was surprising when four million people showed up,” reports Dave Holstein. His father texted him an apology for being unable to view it during opening weekend; Dave replied with, “Go to another theater,” only for all screens and time slots to sell out simultaneously! All were sold out from opening weekend onward. “Every screen, every time.” Meg LeFauve was amazed to witness a popcorn queue stretching round her block for Holstein on its opening Saturday at her local cinema. By its conclusion, everyone stood and cheered loudly – an extraordinary response that surprised even LeFauve herself.” “My initial response after seeing Inside Out 2 was, ‘OK, we may have hit upon something meaningful; maybe this can go big'” Much was riding on its success – though Pixar head Pete Docter, who directed and executive produced both films, recently expressed limited hopes and few fears over its release date of June 24. Should the sequel underperform in theaters, Docter predicted, they will need to change how they run their business radically in response. He identified one such issue as being pandemic hangover. Pixar’s decision to release two key titles directly through streaming may have created an audience habit of seeing these movies from their home sofas; Holstein believes this trend may have even helped Inside Out 2. “Since its release, Inside Out has seen exponentially higher viewing figures due to more people streaming through on Disney+.” Dave Holstein and Meg LeFauve attended Inside Out 2 premiere. Inside Out 2 is an exciting family film with wide appeal across generations. Photograph: Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney/PixarInside Out 2 has something for audiences of all ages to enjoy, creating the ideal environment to foster imagination in young viewers while stimulating existing fans of Pixar films and Disney/Pixar franchises alike. “This movie appeals to children of all ages: young children, teenagers (the new film features Riley being taken over by Anxiety as she turns 13), twentysomethings who loved the first one as well as parents and grandparents – it truly offers something for all! Holstein says his six year-old finds it hilarious! “[This is many movies all in one].” My mom finds this movie to be one of the saddest she has seen; but when my son revisits it in 10 years time, his experience may differ greatly from mine. “While less ambitious offerings such as Super Mario Bros (2023’s second highest performing film after Barbie), Kung Fu Panda 4 ($545m/PS425m) and Garfield ($240m/PS187m), were respectable performers with regard to audiences served. Their target demographic may have limited takers which was evident at the conclusion of each film – everyone stood and cheered when all was finished! Meg LeFauve, screenwriter; As I reflected upon our success of Inside Out I realized: ‘Oh we may have hit upon something here; This could become big’.” Unlike its counterpart Marvel or Barbie films, which tend to perform similarly as family entertainment films; Inside Out’s reach means it behaves more like an event movie with universal appeal than most family fare. 19% of Despicable Me 4’s opening weekend audience was comprised of adults aged 25-34%; 18% fell within 18-24 age bracket. Adults aren’t just willing and excited about taking their children – many appear willing and ready to attend without children too! More surprising still is this trend also appearing with Despicable Me 4. Exit figures for its debut US release indicate 59% of viewers over 18 were present while 20% aged 13-17 watched it as well. “What we are discovering,” states Meledandri, “is that there is a very strong nostalgia factor and therefore playing across multiple ages. Meledandri contends that audiences’ reactions more closely mirror those seen at full-on comedies than traditional family fare, noting how comedy in theatrical movies has become rarer over time. Even more rarely encountered is mainstream comedy that successfully transcends international borders – something the film’s Spanish-spewing minon characters (known to Meledandri as language “agonistics”) excel at doing. Meledandri notes, both films can be enjoyed equally across all global regions and boast significant female involvement. Inside Out 2 features almost no male characters while Gru continues his focus of protecting three orphan girls he adopted from foster care. Both films benefit from having an accomplished US improv star as the face of their promotional drive: in Despicable Me 4 it is Steve Carell while Amy Poehler voices Joy for Inside Out 2. “Both Amy and Joy possess both exceptional comedic chops and huge hearts,” according to LeFauve. Amy is particularly well known due to their inseparable relationship, making marketing efforts easier as Amy seems to “walk right off of the screen”. Unfortunately though, their business models differ substantially.” Meledandri founded Illumination in 2007, when market leaders DreamWorks, Disney and Pixar enjoyed consistent box office success; thus easing any pressure for cost containment at Illumination. His strategy focused on sustainability while offering quick returns. Despicable Me is now one of the highest-grossing animated franchises ever, grossing nearly $5bn at box offices worldwide since 2010. Profit margins were enhanced due to a consistent budget: the initial film in 2010 cost $69m while its sequel cost $70.5m (PS54.6m). Inside Out 2 cost an estimated $200m (PS156m). Vanessa Feltz attended a screening of Despicable Me 4 in London along with her family. Photograph by Stuart C Wilson/Getty Images for Universal Pictures UK “The old formula that stipulated sequels would account for 75% of first film revenue has long since vanished,” notes Gaydos, adding Meledandri’s model has set significant industry precedent. Now, “managing costs is more prevalent” according to Gaydos and applauds Disney for doing it within such an established organization. Yet even amid this tightening in expenditures, Gaydos believes all involved with animation must feel fortunate at present despite any possible savings from tightening belts a bit tighter. These titles seem like safe investments to those who invest heavily in family movies, according to Kevin Kelly of CinemaScore. “He emphasizes the word ‘family” rather than animation: remember Barbie despite its Oscar win and Oscar talk was still about children’s toys! Now family movies have become the predominant genre across all mediums; pictures themselves remain small but audiences grow significantly bigger.”