‘Inside Out 2’: Mammoth $155 Million Opening Puts Box Office Recovery Ahead of Schedule

June was supposed to be a month where the box office fell below the industry average in grosses ahead of a more robust July. The mammoth opening weekend of Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” has changed that.

Projections had the sequel to Pete Docter’s 2015 Oscar winner matching its predecessor’s $90 million opening weekend. Exhibition sources told TheWrap that was too low, but even their most optimistic expectations were in the $115-120 million range, similar to the $118 million launch of Disney’s top grossing film last year...