Advance ticket sales for “The Incredibles 2” are on pace to set a new record for animated movies on Fandango, the site announced on Thursday.
Brad Bird’s sequel to his 2004 Oscar-winning Pixar film is outpacing the pre-sale numbers for Fandango’s previous animation record holder, 2016’s “Finding Dory.” It is also outpacing the sales for several superhero summer blockbusters from the past two years, including “Wonder Woman,” “Spider-man Homecoming,” and “Suicide Squad.”
“Fans have been waiting over a decade to see the return of Pixar’s most beloved heroic family, and those years of anticipation are leading to record-breaking advance ticket sales for ‘Incredibles 2’,” said Erik Davis, Fandango managing editor. “The film is already receiving terrific early buzz, and with summer vacation in full swing for many kids, ‘Incredibles 2’ is poised to become one of season’s biggest hits.”
“The Incredibles 2” is expected by independent trackers to have an opening weekend of at least $120 million, a big step up from the $70 million opening earned by the first “Incredibles.” That start would signal a quick return to form for Disney at the box office, as their streak of franchise hits was snapped two weeks ago with the surprising struggle of “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”
Despite the setback for Lucasfilm and “Star Wars,” Disney is still miles ahead of their Hollywood competitors at the box office, having already grossed over $4 billion worldwide in 2018 thanks to their hit Marvel Studios films “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” the latter of which is on the verge of hitting $2 billion worldwide.
“The Incredibles 2” hits theaters June 15.