Disney Unveils New Projects, Including ‘Inside Out 2’

Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
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Disney Unveils New Projects, Including ‘Inside Out 2’

Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
Cast member Amy Poehler, who voiced 'Joy' in the Disney-Pixar film "Inside Out" arrives for its UK Gala screening at the Leicester Square Odeon in London, Britain, July 19, 2015. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

Disney and Pixar announced on Friday that the movie "Inside Out 2," was currently in development and will be in theaters in the summer of 2024.

"Inside Out" star Amy Poehler announced that she will return for the Pixar sequel, which will focus on teenage Riley's emotions, Reuters reported.

Other announcements on the first day of the 2022 D23 convention for Disney fans included upcoming projects, "Peter and Wendy," "MUFASA," a live action "Snow White," "Win or Lose," "Wish," "Strange World," "Iwaju" and "ELIO."

There were also updates on upcoming movies "Haunted Mansion," "Disenchanted," "Elemental," and "Hocus Pocus 2."

"Peter and Wendy" is a live-action adaption of "Peter Pan" focusing on how Peter Pan and Wendy met that is to be streamed on Disney + in 2023. The Lion King prequel, "MUFASA," was also presented and premieres in 2024.

Viewers also caught a glimpse of Disney’s live action "Snow White" which stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot and releases to theaters in 2024. The brand also gave a first look at Pixar’s new original animated series, "Win or Lose," which will be available on Disney + in 2023 and centers around middle schoolers on a softball team.

Walt Disney Animation Studios also shared a first look at "Wish," its new November 2023 film with West Side Story's Ariana DeBose voicing the main character, Asha.

The panel also teased "Strange World," arriving to theaters on November 23, 2022, which explores a family on a new adventure. Disney Animation and Kugali’s Afrofuturistic series, "Iwaju," was unveiled and will be on Disney Plus in 2023.

The new Pixar and Disney film, "ELIO," about a boy who's transported to another galaxy starring Yonas Kibreab as Elio and America Ferrera as his mother Olga Solis. It will be in theaters in the spring of 2024.

"Haunted Mansion," added Jamie Lee Curtis to its cast along with star cameos, including Winona Ryder, and will be in theaters on March 10, 2023.

The panel also shared trailers for "Disenchanted," which will make its Disney + debut on November 24, 2022 and "Hocus Pocus 2," which premieres on September 30, 2022 on Disney+.”



‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ Rule First Weekend of 2025

Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
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‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ Rule First Weekend of 2025

Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)

The Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa” claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.

The photorealistic “Lion King” prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn’t far behind.

“Sonic 3” stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. “Mufasa’s” running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.

In third place, Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable.

“Nosferatu,” which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).

No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, “Moana 2,” claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in 2019.

A24’s drama “Babygirl," which added 49 locations, held steady at $4.5 million.

Another Thanksgiving leftover, “Wicked,” rounded out the top five. Universal’s movie musical was made available to purchase on VOD on Jan. 31, but still earned another $10.2 million from theaters. The movie is up for several awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes, including nominations for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, best motion picture musical or comedy and “cinematic and box office achievement,” which last year went to “Barbie.”

Also in theaters this weekend was the IMAX re-release of David Fincher’s 4K restoration of “Seven,” which earned just over $1 million from 200 locations.

The 2025 box office year is already off to a better start than 2024, up around 20% from the same weekend last year.