But there is only one place to start as, in our regular monthly column, Digital Spy takes a look at the past month’s biggest releases, as well as the highest-grossing movies of the year so far.

US: $469,306,043
International: $545,500,000
Worldwide: $1,014,806,043

As well as being the fastest animated movie to hit $1 billion, Inside Out 2 has also collected other records in its superb box-office run.

Among them are the biggest US box office debut of 2024, the biggest global animated opening of all time, the highest-grossing second weekend ever for an animated movie and the best (ie smallest) second-weekend drop for any movie to open above $150 million.

It is, in short, a massive hit. If it keeps up this momentum, Inside Out 2 has a shot at becoming the biggest animated movie ever. That record is currently held by Frozen II‘s $1.45 billion result, but how has the Inside Out sequel been such a hit?

First and foremost, it may sound obvious, but Inside Out 2 is a genuinely great movie. It has a 90% critics rating but, more importantly, a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A CinemaScore rating in the US.

Not every great movie delivers $1 billion, of course, but it suggests that it’s been liked by most people who see it, resulting in strong word-of-mouth and likely return visits to the cinema.

What’s more, by exclusively releasing it in cinemas and not on Disney+ (a mistake Pixar has admitted to with the likes of Soul and Turning Red), it has made Inside Out 2 a must-see cinema event rather than just another animated movie.

Another element is that there hasn’t been that much competition in the family-movie arena. May saw the release of The Garfield Movie and IF, but neither of them troubled the critics much, so they weren’t as big a draw.

Arguably the last must-see family movie was Kung Fu Panda 4, released back in March, and by the time Despicable Me 4 arrives in the UK on July 12, Inside Out 2 would have had nearly a month with barely any direct competition.

There’s also the possibility that Inside Out as a franchise has a more emotional connection with its audience.

As box-office analyst Scott Mendelson pointed out, the first movie was the defining animation for a certain generation, in much the same way that The Lion King was for a different generation.

By waiting nine years and not rushing through a sequel, those who loved Inside Out as children had a personal reason to go and see the sequel. It’s a similar situation to why, after 11 years, Toy Story 3 became a mega-hit and why, after 14 years, Incredibles 2 was a massive hit.

It can be seen as a franchise for “them” in a way that other animated offerings aren’t, and perhaps they’re now old enough to take their own family to it. Other Pixar fans are just as keen to see a sequel to one of the studio’s best movies, of course, but this potential group could be an added element of its success.

Disney will look for the same success when it comes to Moana 2 in November, arriving eight years after the first movie, but we’ve got a while to wait to see if that can become as big a hit.

US: $165,250,016
International: $166,700,000
Worldwide: $331,950,016

Bad Boys: Ride or Die might not be doing Inside Out 2 numbers, but there’s still a lot for the action sequel to celebrate.

It opened ahead of expectations in the US with a $56.5 million debut – it was only projected $40 million. With $104.6 million worldwide in its opening weekend, it took the franchise past the $1 billion mark at the global box office, too.

After four weekends in play, Bad Boys: Ride or Die is the second highest-grossing movie of the series with $332 million. It’s not guaranteed to top the $424.5 million result of Bad Boys for Life, but it will run it closer than most people expected even if it doesn’t.

Will that be enough for there to be a Bad Boys 5? Don’t bet against it.

US: $53,000,000
International: $45,500,000
Worldwide: $98,500,000

It might have only been out for a weekend, but A Quiet Place: Day One made enough noise to be the third-biggest release of June at the US box office.

More impressively, the prequel movie landed the biggest debut of the series at both the US box office and the international box office, and it is already on the cusp of $100 million after its first weekend.

It showcases the power of the franchise, given that it doesn’t feature Emily Blunt or any of the existing characters beyond Djimon Hounsou’s Henri from the sequel.

The current highest-grossing movie of the series is A Quiet Place with $334.9 million, so we’ll have to see whether A Quiet Place: Day One can sustain its run to challenge that.

Inside Out 2 has finally ended Dune: Part Two‘s reign as the highest-grossing movie of 2024.

The only other June release to crack the top 10 of the year is Bad Boys: Ride or Die, but it could well be joined by A Quiet Place: Day One in the coming weeks.

(The totals below are accurate as of July 1, 2024, and from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo.)

1. Inside Out 2 – $1,014,806,043
2. Dune: Part Two– $711,844,358
3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire – $569,907,104
4. Kung Fu Panda 4 – $545,529,552
5. YOLO – $479,597,304
6. Pegasus 2 – $469,847,217
7. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – $389,090,232
8. Article 20 – $339,663,274
9. Bad Boys: Ride or Die – $331,950,016
10. Boonie Bears: Time Twist – $276,135,284

Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.