'Incredibles 2' makes heroic N. America box office debut
LOS ANGELES, United States - "Incredibles 2," the long-awaited return of a quirky animated superhero family from Disney-Pixar, reigned supreme at the North American box office, raking in a record $180 million in its debut, industry estimates showed Sunday.
It was the highest ever opening for an animated film in the US and Canada, easily besting the US$135 million (S$182.49) debut of its Disney-Pixar stablemate, "Finding Dory" (2016).
The film tells the story of the Parr family - matriarch Helen (Holly Hunter) is called upon to help bring the world's hiding superheroes back into the open, as husband Bob (Craig T. Nelson) navigates the day-to-day work of being a homemaker.
Their children Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dash (Huck Milner) are back again, along with baby Jack-Jack, whose devastating super powers are about to be unleashed.
In second place was female heist flick "Ocean's 8," which followed up on a big opening by earning US$19.6 million in its second week, according to Exhibitor Relations.
With an all-star cast led by Sandra Bullock and supported by Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Mindy Kaling and Rihanna, the Warner Bros. sequel was Hollywood's latest experiment - after "Ghostbusters" - in replacing an all-male cast with female stars.
The film stars Bullock as Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny Ocean (originally played by George Clooney), as she assembles a gang of talented women to plan a seemingly impossible diamond heist from the Met Gala in New York.
Adult comedy "Tag" opened in third place at US$14.6 million. It tells the story of childhood pals (led by Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner) who keep up a game of cross-country tag for decades, sometimes playing at the oddest of moments.
Fourth place went to "Solo: A Star Wars Story," starring Alden Ehrenreich as a young version of the swashbuckling space pilot first played by Harrison Ford. The Disney film took in US$9.1 million, and nearly US$200 million overall in North America.
Fifth place went to R-rated superhero flick "Deadpool 2" at US$8.8 million.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
"Hereditary" (US$7.0 million)
"Superfly" (US$6.3 million)
"Avengers: Infinity War" (US$5.3 million)
"Adrift" (US$2.1 million)
"Book Club" (US$1.85 million)