Animated sequels draw the crowds

Animated sequels brought audiences to the cinema in droves over Matariki with Val Morgan Group reporting a record-breaking long weekend at the Kiwi box office.

Over the Matariki break from June 28 to 30, Val Morgan has recorded 254,000 admissions to cinemas across New Zealand – what the advertising agency is calling the biggest movie weekend since the Barbenheimer phenomenon of July last year.

Top of Kiwis’ viewing lists was Inside Out 2, the sequel to the 2015 coming-of-age film. With over 114,000 admissions, it had the second biggest opening weekend for an animated film in New Zealand history.

Globally, the sequel also had the biggest opening of any film in 2024, surpassing a billion dollars at the box office.

Inside Out 2 was followed by the fourth instalment in the Despicable Me franchise, which comes seveny years after the third. In third place, and with a slight change of pace, was the apocalyptic horror prequel A Quiet Place: Day One.

Powerful local documentary Ka Whawhai Tonu – Struggle Without End and Indian epic Kalki 2898AD rounded out the top five.

Val Morgan Group’s Sale Director New Zealand, Matt Tremain, says the results from the weekend set the stage for an incredible second half of 2024.

“The blockbuster titles are set to explode, with action-packed adventures like Deadpool & Wolverine and Joker: Folie à Deux to the magical worlds of Wicked and the return of Gladiator. Not to mention even bigger families hits with Mufasa: The Lion King, and Moana 2 rounding out this years’ incredible movie slate.”

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