AMC’s Best Weekend Yet Thanks to ‘Inside Out 2’

The release of Disney’s “Inside Out 2,” a Pixar animated film, drove four million people to AMC theaters over the weekend, marking the best two days of the year for the cinema chain, despite a challenging start to 2024 at the box office.

Over one million people visited AMC theaters each day from Friday to Sunday, totaling 3.8 million for the weekend, according to AMC Theatres. Friday saw the highest single-day attendance of the year, a record which was surpassed on Saturday. This surge in attendance, bolstered by a strong second weekend for “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” resulted in the busiest weekend for AMC since summer 2023, with attendance doubling compared to the same weekend last year when “The Flash” and “Elemental” underperformed.

International attendance at AMC theaters also saw a significant increase, with double-digit percentage growth compared to the same weekend last year. “Inside Out 2” grossed $155 million in its opening weekend, surpassing its $90 million projection. “Bad Boys,” the fourth film in its franchise, grossed $33 million in its second weekend, while “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” earned $5.2 million, “The Garfield Movie” made $5 million, and “IF” brought in $3.5 million.

“Only fools believe that movie theatres are dead,” AMC CEO Adam Aron tweeted. Despite the attendance surge, AMC’s stock price fell by over 2% as of 2 p.m. Monday, trading at $4.88.

The box office has been slow this year, impacting AMC and other theater operators. The industry is still recovering from actors’ and writers’ strikes that delayed many film and TV productions, along with competition from streaming services. Several films scheduled for early 2024 releases, including “Deadpool 3,” “Kraven the Hunter,” and “A Quiet Place: Day One,” have been delayed, with others like “Captain America: Brave New World,” “Snow White,” and “Mission: Impossible” postponed to 2025. Aside from “Dune: Part Two,” released in March, the early 2024 box office saw several flops, including “Madame Web,” “Argylle,” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.”

More upcoming releases include “Deadpool & Wolverine” (July 26), “It Ends with Us” (Aug. 9), “Joker: Folie à Deux” (Oct. 4), “Venom 3” (Oct. 25), “Kraven the Hunter” (Dec. 13), and “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Dec. 20).