Incredibles 2 scores one of the highest-box office openings of 2018, and the superhero genre in general. In 2004, Brad Bird’s The Incredibles became one of Pixar’s most beloved hits, earning widespread critical praise and $261.4 million domestically. For years, fans clamored for a sequel to the animation studio’s superhero romp, and this past weekend Incredibles 2 finally made its way into theaters. Given Pixar’s pedigree and the property in question, it was widely expected the followup would be a major commercial smash.
Buoyed by positive reviews earlier in the week, Incredibles 2 was poised to shatter box office records. Early projections ahead of its debut indicated an opening weekend in the range of $150 million, but the sequel ended up exceeding those estimates. In its first three days, the film earned more than most live-action superhero movies.
Per Box Office Mojo, Incredibles 2 grossed a whopping $180 million this weekend, sailing past Finding Dory’s previous all-time mark for largest animated opening. That haul is so impressive, it narrowly edges out Captain America: Civil War ($179.1 million) for the fifth-largest superhero movie debut ever. Only Infinity War, The Avengers, Black Panther, and Age of Ultron made more in their opening weekends. Incredibles 2 is already the sixth-highest grossing film of 2018 to date, and it’ll only rise up the charts from here.
Incredibles 2 is set up to have a very lucrative run. There are a couple of new live-action tentpoles on the horizon (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Ant-Man and the Wasp), but Pixar won’t face any direct competition for its target demographic (families) until mid-July when Hotel Transylvania 3 debuts. This means Incredibles 2 has a solid month where it’s the only high-profile animated movie in town. That monopoly on the market should prove to be beneficial, especially since audiences seem to like what Bird delivered after 14 years. There shouldn’t be any massive drop-off because the word-of-mouth is strong. If Incredibles 2 doesn’t have legs, it’ll be an unprecedented situation.
This weekend’s other noteworthy release, the comedy Tag, earned a modest $14.6 million in its debut to finish in third place. The film received lukewarm reviews, which probably hurt its prospects somewhat, despite the star-studded cast. Elsewhere in the top five, reigning champion Ocean’s 8 fell to second with $19.5 million, Solo: A Star Wars Story came in fourth with $9 million as it crawls its way to $200 million, and Deadpool 2 was in fifth with $8.8 million. The remake of Superfly opened outside the top five in seventh with $6.3 million.
MORE: Incredibles 2 Completely Ignores Modern Superhero Films
Source: Box Office Mojo
- The Incredibles 2 Release Date: 2018-06-15
