While the final numbers for the weekend aren't in yet, The Wrap is reported that Incredibles 2 will reach $500 million at the box office domestically. This would make it the highest-grossing animated movie in America. The previous record holder was Finding Dory, which opened two years ago and went on to gross $486 million domestically. Not only that, but Incredibles 2 will also become the twelfth film to gross over $500 million domestically, and will likely pass Rogue One to join the top ten all-time domestic list.
This comes after Incredibles 2 already had a record-breaking opening for animation. The sequel bowed out opening weekend with $182 million, which means that it made more than every Marvel movie with the exception of Black Panther and the three Avengers films.
Interestingly, the sequel has only made a little over $200 million in foreign markets, which are usually bigger than domestic numbers As for why Incredibles 2 is finding such success with American audiences, the key reason might be nostalgia. It's been 14 years since the original Incredibles movies. Kids who saw that movie in theaters are now millennials with cash in their pockets and clear willingness to spend it in theaters. I can say that in my packed showing, the vast majority of the audience were adults.
This is probably less of a factor, but superhero movies are also much more popularthan when the first film was in theaters. More and more people are heading to theaters to enjoy the laughs and entertainment that the genre is becoming known for.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that the movie is really good. The sequel puts fan-favorite Elastigirl front and center, while Mr. Incredible milks the laughs by raising the kids alone. And we definitely can't forget Jack-Jack, who completely steals the show. 14 years is a long time to wait but it was clearly worth it for audiences and Disney.