Movies & TV / News
411 Box Office Report: Incredibles 2 Breaks Records With $180 Million Start
SHE’S BACK – Elastigirl may have hung up her Supersuit when the Supers were lying low, but in “Incredibles 2,” she’s recruited to lead a campaign to bring them back into the spotlight. With the full support of her family behind her, Helen finds she’s still at the top of her game when it comes to fighting crime. Featuring the voice of Holly Hunter as Helen Parr aka Elastigirl, “Incredibles 2” opens in U.S. theaters June 15, 2018. ©2018 Disney•Pixar. All Rights Reserved.
After fourteen years, The Incredibles 2 was finally unleashed on the box office this weekend and records fell as a result. Disney-Pixar’s animated superhero sequel grossed $180 million to decimate the competition for an easy #1 start. That marks the third-best opening weekend of 2018, behind only Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther. It also represents, with ease, the best animated film opening weekend of all-time.
The Incredibles 2 blew past all expectations from industry analysts for the weekend. Going into Friday, most had the film predicted at $125 million to $140 million, with high-end projections at $150 million. Those expectations were tossed aside after a $71.5 million Friday (including Thursday previews). This can be attributed to a lot of things — a strong marketing campaign, the overwhelmingly positive reviews (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and positive word of mouth (a rare A+ CinemaScore). But mostly, it speaks to the anticipation for the film based on appreciation of the original. The film dominated social media trends leading up to its release and the audience was spread across all ages, meaning this wasn’t just a film that parents were taking their kids to.
Like most Pixar films, the movie performed strongly throughout the weekend and didn’t suffer the day-by-day drops that tend to occur with fandom-heavy blockbusters. That, coupled with the good word of mouth, means very good things for the movie’s legs. Pixar’s average multiple is a 3.87, though that includes such stellar performers as Finding Nemo (4.83), Up (4.3) and Toy Story (6.58). Incredibles 2 probably won’t hit any of those, but it should be able to hit somewhere around the 3.6 of Finding Dory. That would be enough for a fantastic $640 million-plus, which would make it the highest-grossing animated film with ease. The film has added $51.5 million in twenty-five markets overseas for a $231.5 million worldwide first weekend. The buiget isn’t known but suffice it to say, this is a huge hit.
Ocean’s 8 was down a spot to make way for the Incredible family, bringing in #19.6 million in its second weekend. The heist film was down 53% in its second weekend, more than the 42% and 45% of Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Thirteen but right on part with Ocean’s Twelve’s 53% drop. This is a solid number for a film that overperformed last weekend. The ensemble film is now up to $79.2 million domestically and $116.3 million worldwide. It is aiming for a good $120 million domestically by the end of its run and will be a hit on a $70 million budget.
Warner Bros.’ comedy Tag marked a decent start at #3 with $14.6 million. That’s right around where most had the ensemble film pegged to open. The film, based on a true story about a long-running game of tag among adult friends, survived mild reviews (56%) on Rotten Tomatoes on the strength of its marketing campaign and good word of mouth that carried it through the weekend. The CinemaScore is a very decent B+.
Tag is the latest in a string of R-rated comedies, a genre that has had difficulty opening well at the box office. Blockers’ $20.6 million start was a relative rarity, while Game Night scored openings around $10 million and had to leg out its eventual success. This one’s opening is a good start for a film that cost $28 million, and the word of mouth will help it likely get to a mildly successful point. It added $1.4 million overseas in a smattering of markets for a $16 million worldwide opening. Expect a finish around $45 million or so.
Solo: A Star Wars Story was off 42% in its fourth weekend with $9.1 million. The Star Wars prequel has now grossed $192.8 million domestically and $339.5 million worldwide, not enough to bring it to an eventual profit margin considering the $250 million budget. It is currently aiming for around $215 million domestically by the end of its run.
Deadpool 2 was down a pleasing 38% in its fifth weekend with $8.8 million. The X-Men spinoff sequel brought its totals to $294.7 million domestically and $689.5 million worldwide, and should be able to stay on course for around $315 million in the US. With a $110 million budget, it is obviously a big hit for Fox.
A24’s Hereditary saw a solid hold in its second weekend, as it fell 48% to $7 million. The Toni Collette-led film had a drop in line with The Conjuring’s 47%, albeit from a lower place to start with. There was some concern that this one would fall farther due to the polarizing reaction to the film and D+ CinemaScore, but as of now it appears to be tracking like a traditional critically-appreciated horror flick. It is up to $27.2 million this far and is aiming for at least $40 million, perhaps more. On a $10 million budget, this is a money maker.
Sony/Columbia’s Superfly came in at #7 with a $6.3 million opening weekend. That’s a bit below what analysts were expecting for the remake, which flew under a lot of radars. The film was not particularly well-liked on the whole by critics (54% on RT) but word of mouth should be decent for it according to the B+ CinemaScore. The film has a total of $8.4 million after its Wednesday opening, where analysts expected it to be around $12 million by now. A $25 million total seems likely in the US, not enough for a profit on a $16 million budget.
Avengers: Infinity War was down a small 27% in its eighth weekend with $5.3 million. The MCU film is now at $664.2 million domestically and $2.02 billion worldwide, and should make it to $675 million at the least in the US. The budget was $300 million.
Adrift continued to fade quickly, down 60% in its third weekend for a $2.1 million three-day take. The Shailene Woodley and Sam Clafin survival drama is now sitting at $26.8 million domestically and $28.3 million worldwide. It should finish off with around $30 million domestically and will need those international markets to overperform to hit profit on a $30 million budget.
Paramount’s Book Club closed out the top ten with $1.9 million, down 57%. The ensemble comedy is up to an very nice $62 million domestically and at this point should make it to around $68 million. Paramount has a hit here on a $10 million budget.
Next weekend will see Pixar almost certainly give way to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which is looking at a $130 million start.
BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. The Incredibles 2 – $180 million ($180 million total)
2. Ocean’s 8 – $19.6 million ($79.2 million total)
3. Tag – $14.6 million ($14.6 million total)
4. Solo: A Star Wars Story – $9.1 million ($192.8 million total)
5. Deadpool 2 – $8.8 million ($294.7 million total)
6. Hereditary – $7 million ($27.2 million total)
7. Superfly – $6.3 million ($8.4 million total)
8. Avengers: Infinity War – $5.3 million ($664.2 million total)
9. Adrift – $2.1 million ($26.8 million total)
10. Book Club – $1.9 million ($62 million total)
