2024 in Film: “Inside Out 2” and other sequels rule the box office | The Excerpt
On a special episode (first released on December 18, 2024) of The Excerpt podcast: What word had moviegoers buzzing in 2024? They may not want to admit it, but that word would be sequels. From “Inside Out 2” to “Gladiator II,” Hollywood racked up big wins with the tried and true. With the 2023 Hollywood strikes by both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writer’s Guild in the rearview, was Hollywood able to come roaring back in 2024? Paste BN Entertainment Reporter Ralphie Aversa joins The Excerpt to discuss some of Hollywood’s biggest hits and misses this year.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Dana Taylor:
Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Wednesday, December 18th, 2024, and this is a special episode of The Excerpt.
What word had moviegoers buzzing in 2024? It may not want to admit it, but that word would be sequels. From Inside Out 2 to Gladiator II, Hollywood racked up big wins with a tried and true. With the 2023 Hollywood strikes by both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild in the rearview, was Hollywood able to come roaring back in 2024? For more on that, we're now joined by one of my favorite people to talk movies with Paste BN Entertainment Reporter Ralphie Aversa. Thanks for coming on, Ralphie.
Ralphie Aversa:
Dana, always a pleasure.
Dana Taylor:
Okay, so I got this one wrong. I was certain that Deadpool and Wolverine would top the global box office for the year, they were thwarted by Inside Out 2. Looking at the overall box office totals for the year was Hollywood on the upswing in 2024?
Ralphie Aversa:
The answer is no, it was not. It was off about a billion dollars, at least as we tape this episode, from 2023. So it was really interesting what happened this year. I think Hollywood was anticipating to at least hold ground, if not maybe gain a little ground from last year despite the fact that let's not forget last year you had these two just absolutely iconic and gigantic movies in theaters in both Oppenheimer and Barbie. But as the year went on I think a big turning point was Dune Two. Dune Two did not do the type of numbers that I think Hollywood was expecting. And so up until Deadpool and Wolverine, it was kind of Inside Out 2 and then everybody else on that box office list.
Now it's still really Inside Out 2, Deadpool and Wolverine and everyone else on that list. You'll notice if you look at the top five domestic box office for the year, Wicked despite being released so late in the year is already in the top five. That kind of is a microcosm for what happened this year in Hollywood.
Dana Taylor:
I know the Golden Globe nominations are out. The Oscar nominations are going to be announced on Friday, January 17th. So we're still about one month away. Are there any clear front-runners?
Ralphie Aversa:
Well, Wicked, of course. Absolutely you have to talk about not just the picture and the phenomenon that it's become, but also Cynthia Erivo for Best Actress and Ariana Grande for Best Supporting Actress. I think you also have to throw in there Anora, both the movie and Mikey Madison, her performance, in that film as she goes for a Best Actress Oscar, I would imagine she gets that nomination. She is nominated for a Golden Globe.
I'll tell you something else that's just happening now, Dana, a complete unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic, Timothée Chalamet that is getting some incredible reviews. I believe Timothée also has a Golden Globe nomination, so you got to throw that in the mix as well.
Dana Taylor:
Well, sticking with Wicked for a minute. It has a runtime of 2 hours and 40 minutes and they're not done yet. What's the skinny on the second installment of the movie?
Ralphie Aversa:
I saw this video online of Jon M. Chu, the director. He was chatting with Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, and they were asking him if he's been able to really celebrate this success, and he said, "Meh, not really because I'm already working on part two and part two's going to be coming in November of 2025, November 21st to be exact."
It was interesting, the creators, they didn't want to cut out any characters, they didn't want to cut out any familiar songs, they didn't want to cut out any big storylines, but they did want to expand on these journeys. And so the only way they felt they were able to do all of those things was to add the sequel. And I would imagine they're very happy so far with the reception to part one that they've done so.
Dana Taylor:
One of my favorites, Oscar winner, Denzel Washington, has announced his retirement. He's received rave reviews for his role in Gladiator II. Will we see him again before he steps away?
Ralphie Aversa:
Yes. The answer is yes. So we got three more films, at least three more films that we'll see Denzel in. Right now, Mr. Washington's saying that after these three roles he's done. Look, we know how things go in Hollywood. Things can change. I feel like he's going to hold true to this though. Black Panther 3 will be one of those roles. There's another Shakespeare adaptation he's going to be a part of, that will be one of those roles. And then a McQueen project as well. So after that, will he completely fade into the abyss? He's going to be showered with his flowers certainly leading up to and then after this run. I would imagine he's going to receive lifetime achievement awards and other such honors I would imagine also we'll see him out supporting his children when they're involved in different projects. So I don't think Denzel's going away forever ever, but I do think especially after these three roles, he will take a substantial step back from the spotlight.
Dana Taylor:
Ralphie, who doesn't love a little 1980s nostalgia? It seems like quite a feat for them to have gotten, Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder on board for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Michael Keaton jumped right back in, right? He loves this franchise.
Ralphie Aversa:
Yeah, he does. Willem Dafoe was in that one as well, and that did pretty well at the box office. Well enough that I think you're going to see maybe a third installment. I'm not going to say what it's called because we all know what happens when you say Beetlejuice three times. So I wouldn't do that here in this episode.
But yeah, I do think that we'll see Michael in that. Hey Michael, he made our list of Golden Globe snubs this year, not just for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but also for Goodrich. So it was a good year for Mr. Keaton. It's great to see that he's taking on both familiar and unfamiliar roles, and I guess a little sad that he won't be as a part of awards season as we had initially hoped.
Dana Taylor:
This year we saw the buddy cop return of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence and Bad Boys: Ride or Die. Does the success of this movie put to bed questions regarding the box office appeal of Will Smith?
Ralphie Aversa:
Not necessarily. I would just throw a little bit of water on it because it is such a familiar franchise. He is co-starring in it with Martin Lawrence. I mean, look, I think if you're wondering, does he completely turn people off from the box office? Yes, I guess the answer there is no. But it's so interesting with Will, obviously with the ban that he has from the Oscar ceremony and from not being nominated, but from the ceremony, that really tempers any big project that he signs onto the kind of push that they're going to have with Academy voters.
I think TBD as far as we separate more and more from the incident that happened a few years ago at the Oscars, the different roles he takes on the campaigns and the marketing behind those roles. And then, I don't know, is this a full 10-year ban or is at some point, is there a mea culpa and it gets shortened to five or six? I'm not sure, and I haven't heard anything to that. Again, with it being Hollywood, you never say never, right? I feel like there's so many different possibilities.
Dana Taylor:
There were two marquee names attached to Joker: Folie à Deux. It starred Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. What did the Monday morning quarterbacks say went wrong here, Ralphie, and how much did they lose on this film?
Ralphie Aversa:
So I think the overall sentiment of what went wrong was they were trying to say that it wasn't a musical, but it kind of was a musical. And in hindsight, maybe it shouldn't have been a musical. So I think that's the way to sum up the Monday morning quarterback on this. How much did they lose? Oh boy, the reports are depending on what report you're believing and what source you're believing, anywhere between 125 to 200 million, that kind of loss for that highly anticipated of a sequel, which last year at this time, Dana, you and I were talking about not only are we looking forward to that, but we're thinking Oscar buzz and award season buzz for both Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. And no, no, no, no, no, no. Even with Gaga's performance, which did receive some positive reviews, she did not receive a Golden Globe nomination for it. So yeah, it doesn't look like this will be a part of award season at all. And a lot of people at Warner Brothers certainly may be scratching their heads, certainly shaking their heads over that one.
Dana Taylor:
There's some who say that Tom Cruise is the last real movie star. Has Glen Powell set himself up, or is Hollywood setting him up as a next big action star with Twisters?
Ralphie Aversa:
Maybe. Although I did think it was funny, they asked Glen Powell if he wanted to replace Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible franchise after this last one that Tom releases, and he was like, "I don't think I could do that." He was pretty honest and blunt about it. So maybe Glen's not quite ready for it. I think maybe he was saying it a little tongue in cheek, although some of those stunts that Tom pulls off really are incredible. But look, I think it's more than just a moment at this point, obviously break out with the second Top Gun. He's going to be a part of the third Top Gun, but he won't really say any more than that. And then he receives a Golden Globe nomination for Hitman, which he co-produced and I believe co-wrote also. So Glen Powell's certainly on that track to becoming one of Hollywood's top leading men.
Dana Taylor:
The movie Civil War rolled a lot of people's fears regarding politics and unhinged neighbors into one jarring film, and we, the news media, were central to the story. Was this a surprise hit?
Ralphie Aversa:
Maybe a surprise to everybody except A24 the studio. And the reason why I say that is because they sunk about $50 million into this film, and that was a lot of money, I believe the most ever that they had sunk into a film. So they were willing to put their chips into the middle of the table and certainly it worked out for them as well. I believe it's grossed now around $125 million. So it's worked out quite well for A24.
Dana Taylor:
As I mentioned earlier, sequels dominated the box office in 2024 with movies like Dune Part Two, Despicable Me 4, Moana 2, is it worth complaining about any more? Clearly, moviegoers show up for sequels.
Ralphie Aversa:
It's a copycat business, Dana, and Hollywood loves their... Like a lot of things in life, we love our familiarity. And so when we see familiar characters, again, whether you go back to Bad Boys with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence or you talk about Beetlejuice or you talk about some of the 2025 slate as well that we'll get into. Wicked, of course, too. These familiar characters more times than not tend to play well with audiences.
Dana Taylor:
I know the indie horror movie Longlegs made over $100 million. Were there any other indie films that didn't make a big splash in theaters but received high critical claim that deserve a mention?
Ralphie Aversa:
I think Anora. Again, we talked at the top about awards season coming up and Anora has really captivated the audiences that have seen it and has captivated critics as well. We spoke with Mikey Madison, she stopped by the USA Today newsroom in New York. It's so interesting. I mean, she's an LA girl, but she plays a sex worker living in Coney Island. It's such a New York movie. It's obviously all set in New York, in Brooklyn and in Coney Island, along with Manhattan as well. And just the ride that she goes on here after meeting the son of a Russian oligarch at the club that she works at is, really, it's a lot of twists and turns, a lot of different emotions you feel as well. The end scene, I don't want to give it away, but I think that could be the scene that if Mikey wins the Oscars she may have won it in that scene right there. So I would say as far as indie films, Anora is still top of mind for me, and I think it's going to be top of mind for a lot of people as we get through this awards season.
Dana Taylor:
And finally, Ralphie, what can we look forward to in 2025?
Ralphie Aversa:
Whew. We got a lot going on. We talked of course about Wicked part two. We have a new Jurassic Park on the way. We have a Superman on the way. We have the Michael Jackson biopic on the way, a lot of conversation around that. We have a SpongeBob SquarePants movie. I mean, it really runs the gamut in 2025. There's a new Freaky Friday, Freakier Friday is on the way, Dana, in 2025. So I know we've all been looking forward to that for sure. But there's certainly a lot happening in the year. Naked Gun as well, we're going to get another one of those. A new Avatar is coming up also. I guess if anything, Dune: Part Two, maybe not so much. It didn't meet expectations. But it certainly wasn't a, quote-unquote, flop at the box office Joker two a different story. And so again, just because you have these familiar characters and familiar storylines doesn't necessarily always mean that audiences are going to gravitate to them. So we'll see what happens in 2025.
Dana Taylor:
Can always count on you to take us inside Hollywood. Thank you, Ralphie.
Ralphie Aversa:
Thanks Dana.
Dana Taylor:
Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Green and Kaylee Monahan for their production assistance, our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts@usatoday.com. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.