After Barbenheimer gave the box office a massive boost in 2023, 2024 saw another decline in theatrical revenue.
There were some2024 box office disappointments that found success on streaminglong after they left theaters.
And no one was surprised when ol reliables likeKung Fu PandaandSonic the Hedgehogscored another hit at the box office.
But there were still plenty of surprises at the 2024 box office.
Naturally, Warner Bros. twisted Phillips arm to get a sequel out of him.
But what those predictions didnt count on was that the movie would be wildly polarizing.
Critics switched between praising and panning it, and fans of the original film felt personally insulted by it.
It grossed a paltry $206,102,722 (viaThe Numbers), a massive step down from the first one.
Nobody saw that coming.
Those kinds of movies are going straight to streaming as the theaters are increasingly infested with big-budget blockbusters.
This should be a promising sign for studios interested in adapting other popular novels for the screen.
But not only wasInside Out 2a box office success; it became the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
Inside Out 2s box office numbersare impressive even by Pixars usual standards.
Thanks to its intergenerational appeal,Inside Out 2almost doubled the lifetime gross of the first movie.
In 2023, four of the 10 highest-grossing movies were sequels.
But in 2024, eight of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of the year were sequels.
It was always going to be tough to turn Frank Herberts sci-fi opus into a blockbuster franchise.
It far outgrossed its predecessor with a worldwide haul of $714,444,358 (viaBox Office Mojo).
In 2023,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaunderperformed andThe Marvelswas a genuine flop.
Marvels only theatrical release of 2024,Deadpool & Wolverine, couldve gone either way.
Teaming up these two mutants was one of the best decisions Marvel ever made.
Terrifier 3grossed $89,754,227 worldwide (viaBox Office Mojo) against a relatively slim budget of $2 million.
Who couldve guessed thatArt the Clown would outgross the Joker at the box office?
There are a fewreasons whyFuriosaunderperformed at the box office.
It arrived nine years afterFury Road, so it didnt exactly strike while the iron was hot.
And despite the critical praise, theMad Maxfranchise has always had niche appeal.
It wasnt until February that Disney announced it was retooling aMoanastreaming series as a theatrical sequel to the movie.
WhenMoana 2was released in November, the reviews reflected the last-minute cash-grab switch from streaming to theatrical.
But none of that mattered all that much.
TheMoanafan base is so large and dedicated that, despite its mediocre quality,Moana 2became a massive success.
Since arriving in theaters,Moana 2has grossed $960,937,374 and counting (viaBox Office Mojo).
It might not have been the best creative decision, but it proved to be a wise business decision.
But Neon did an incredible job of advertising this movie.
They deliberately obscured Nicolas Cages titular slasher to build an air of mystique around the character.
This ingenious marketing campaign paid off in spades.
Source:The Numbers,Box Office Mojo
