The year 2024 was a monumental year for animated and spin-off movies. Inside Out 2 was the only animated movie to reach over one billion international sales. The popularity of animated movies this year shows the genres connecting themes, and appeal.
Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Moana 2, and Kung Fu Panda 4 all reached the top grossing animated films of the year.
- Inside out 2: $1,698,765,616
- Despicable Me 4: $969,126,452
- Moana 2: $882,505,425
- Kung Fu Panda 4: $547,689,492
Not only did animated movies make the list, other movies like Twister, Wicked, and Venom; The Last Dance did as well. The majority of the top twenty movies of 2024 are either spin-offs or franchise continuations. The list of the top twenty movies and their sales are listed below.
| 1 | Inside Out 2 | $1,698,765,616 |
| 2 | Deadpool & Wolverine | $1,338,073,645 |
| 3 | Despicable Me 4 | $969,126,452 |
| 4 | Moana 2 | $882,505,425 |
| 5 | Dune: Part Two | $714,444,358 |
| 6 | Wicked | $634,378,535 |
| 7 | Godzilla x Kong – The New Empire | $571,750,016 |
| 8 | Kung Fu Panda 4 | $547,689,492 |
| 9 | Venom: The Last Dance | $476,391,878 |
| 10 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | $451,100,435 |
| 11 | Gladiator II | $435,200,000 |
| 12 | Bad Boys: Ride or Die | $404,544,199 |
| 13 | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | $397,378,150 |
| 14 | Twisters | $370,962,265 |
| 15 | It Ends with Us | $350,986,018 |
| 16 | Alien: Romulus | $350,865,342 |
| 17 | Mufasa: The Lion King | $327,983,537 |
| 18 | The Wild Robot | $324,275,165 |
| 19 | A Quiet Place: Day One | $261,786,322 |
| 20 | The Garfield Movie | $234,562,638 |
The secret that made all of these movies popular and what made them so much money is that they used an established fan base to minimize the risk of making them flop in sales. Movies like Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune: Part Two, Wicked, and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice used this method.
Only two movies in the top twenty are original. Those movies are The Wild Robot and It Ends with Us.
Interestingly enough, I thought that Mufasa: The Lion King would perform better in sales. My theory is that people are waiting for it to stream on Disney Plus so they don’t have to pay to watch the movie just one time, and so people can watch it in the comfort of their homes.
2024 was a very successful year for animated and spin off movies. Hopefully, 2025 will be as successful.
