“The Incredibles 2” earned $18.5 million at the Thursday box office, surpassing “Finding Dory’s” animation preview record of $9.2 million.
“Minions” earned $6.2 million in Thursday previews, while “The Secret Life of Pets” grossed $5.3 million. The preview gross for “Incredibles 2” is higher than those for “Beauty and the Beast” ($16.3 million), “Spider-Man: Homecoming” ($15.4 million) and “Justice League” ($13 million).
The sequel to “The Incredibles” is looking at a weekend opening of $120 million to $145 million. The first “Incredibles” opened to $70 million in 2004, and “Incredibles 2” will still have a higher opening than its predecessor even after inflation adjustments are made.
Taking place right after the end of the first film, “The Incredibles 2” sees the Parr family face a new family dynamic after Elastigirl is recruited for a campaign to help bring superheroes back. While she fights the bad guys, Mr. Incredible is left to take care of his three kids, including the infant Jack-Jack, who begins to develop his own powers.
Brad Bird returns to write and direct, as well as provide the voice for fan favorite Edna Mode. Craig T. Nelson, Helen Hunt, and Samuel L. Jackson also return to the cast, being joined by “Better Call Saul” stars Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks. Critics have nearly unanimously praised the film, giving it a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 94 percent.
Warner Bros./New Line’s “Tag” earned $1.33 million in preshows, compared to “Game Night,” which grossed $1 million in February.
“Tag” is based on the true story of a lifelong group of friends who played a game of tag for 23 years. The film stars Ed Helms, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Hannibal Burress, and Jake Johnson as the crew of friends, with the cast completed by Rashida Jones, Isla Fisher, Annabelle Wallis, Leslie Bibb, Brian Dennehy, and Lil Rel Howrey. Jeff Tomsic directed from a script by Rob McKittrick and Mark Steilen.
Sony/Silver Pictures’ “Superfly” opened on Wednesday and is looking to earn $7 million to $12 million over the five days., with the film sporting a reported budget of $16 million.
“Superfly” stars Trevor Jackson as Youngblood Priest, a career criminal who wants out of the Atlanta drug business, only to get dragged into even deeper trouble after one bad deal. Jason Mitchell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Lex Scott Davis, and Jennifer Morrison also star, with Director X helming the film. “Watchmen” co-writer Alex Tse penned the script, with Joel Silver producing with Atlanta rapper Future.