Martese Soleed (left) and Shelly Norris were waiting since their childhood for the sequel of “The Incredibles.”
WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Millennials flocked to the movie theaters this weekend to watch “The Incredibles 2”, the long-awaited premiere of the movie sequel to the animated Pixar blockbuster from 2004.
Many of the children, who followed superheroes Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl through their first adventure 14 years ago, have gone through middle and high school waiting for the second movie.
“I had high expectations for the movie, since it’s been so long since the first movie came out and I have a lot of childhood memories attached to it,” said Kelly Gayda, 21, who added that she felt childhood nostalgia when watching the premiere of the sequel at AMC Potomac Mills 18 in Woodbridge on Friday.
Gayda said that the movie brings back memories of when she first watched the movie and the emotions that came with it.
“I remember watching it for the first time with my family at home with our snacks and having a Incredibles lunchbox,” she said.
The sequel prompted many millennials, like Gayda, to reminisce about the happy times they experienced watching the first movie.
“This is my inner kid coming out. Even though I’m 18, I feel like I’m seven again,” Tiyana Brown, 18, said.
The sequel’s opening weekend broke the record for animated movies by almost $50 million. Early predictions said that “The Incredibles 2” had earned $183 million at U.S. box offices, beating the blockbuster “Finding Dory”, which was released in 2016.
When Disney-Pixar movies have sequels, such as Monsters Inc. and Toy Story, film audiences usually don’t have to wait more than a decade for the next release date.
The Incredibles movie was different and many people didn’t think it was ever going to happen.
“When I consider how long it’s been since the first movie, I feel very old,” Lexie Williams, 21, said.
Even though the sequel is classified as a movie for the entire family, millennials see it as a movie that makes them feel like they are children again.
“The Incredibles is kind of one of the first superhero movies we were exposed to as kids,” said Martese Soleed, 18, a high school senior.
He recalled a moment from his childhood when he stole a Frozone action figure from a friend, because he didn’t own any of the Incredibles toys, but really wanted one.
The marketing of the Incredibles sequel on social media helped to re-start the conversation among the millennial generation about the movie.
“We have been waiting for this for a minute, so we deserve to have first dibs,” said Shelly Norris, 20.
The movie was advertised for months, keeping millennials anxiously awaiting the release. “I feel like everyone that was a kid when it first came out, and seeing it now is like really exciting, because it’s part of millennial culture,” Soleed said.
By Aliviah Jones, Special to WTVR.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: WTVR.com has partnered with VCU’s Richard T. Robertson School of Media and Culture. A student from the program reported this story.
