Pixar's Inside Out 2 sees record opening weekend

Pixar's Inside Out 2 has broken box office records over the weekend as it brought in an estimated $295m (£232.6m) around the world.

That makes it the strongest global opening by an animated film of all time, parent company Disney said.

In North America, ticket sales hit about $155m, dethroning Dune: Part Two as the holder of this year's top box office opening weekend.

It marks a big win for cinemas, which have seen lacklustre box office takings for some new movies this year.

Inside Out 2's first weekend was much stronger than the original movie, which brought in $90m in its opening weekend before going on to gross $858m worldwide.

It was the second-best opening for the company in the North American market, just behind the 2018 release of The Incredibles 2.

The blockbuster opening weekend is a boost for Pixar after relatively weak opening performances from some of its recent releases.

Inside Out 2 is the first sequel of the 2015 Oscar-winning hit, which focused on the emotions of a young girl called Riley.

While the original was about feelings like joy, fear and anger the latest instalment tackles issues such as envy and anxiety.