Two Movies Have Carried Summer Box Office, You’ll Never Guess What They Have In Common

The entire entertainment industry has been struggling mightily in recent years. A string of massive box office failures, mostly produced by the Walt Disney Company, have weighed down the movie business' financial results.

The Marvels, Lightyear, Strange World, Elemental, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and many others have cost Disney, and the industry, hundreds of millions in losses. Many of the recent blockbuster failures have had a common thread running through their storylines: a strong, proud, left-leaning political perspective.

READ: Disney Keeps Making Political Movies And They Keep Flopping

It's no secret that the film business leans left, and has for decades. But with the advent of streaming services and quick transitions from theaters to home viewing, audiences have realized that they can be exceptionally picky with their movie-going dollars. Preach at them with political ideologies they don't agree with? It's extremely easy to tune out those movies entirely.

This summer though, has shown the flip side of the box office debacle, thanks to two animated films: Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4. Audiences will show up, in droves, for family-friendly entertainment that doesn't preach to them.

And if Hollywood execs were paying attention, it would give them a clear and obvious solution to their financial problems.

ORLANDO - Cinderella Castle in Walt Disney World. (Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Disney, Other Studios Getting A Lesson In How Consumer Sentiment Works

Though it's less successful after adjusting for inflation, Inside Out 2 has been one of the most financially successful animated films in film history.

After nearly a month in theaters, it's pulled in more than $543 million in domestic box office receipts and $708 million internationally. That $1.251 billion gross makes Inside Out 2 the fifth highest grossing animated movie ever. 

Despicable Me 4 has been out for just more than a week, but has already pulled in $255 million combined, against just a $100 million budget. It's another massive box office success in an industry desperate for them, and if you look closely, there's a clear connection.

Yes, they're sequels. Yes, they're animated movies. But most importantly, they're family films with no obvious political message. Who knew that the summer, when children are out of school, is a good time to release classic family entertainment parents can take their kids to see? 

Well, everyone knew. Except the people in charge of making movies. 

Despite what the industry wants to believe, there is a massive audience of potential moviegoers throughout the United States who would return to theaters – if there's something they want to see. And those moviegoers, inundated with political messaging in everyday life, don't want more of it in their kids' entertainment. Especially when those messages reflect the same generic corporate progressive ideology that the public has soured on.

Hollywood has a golden opportunity to recapture some of the billions in grosses that it sacrificed for advancing its political agenda. Hollywood just has to be smart enough, and unbiased enough, to capitalize on it.