Wither Pixar? Not on Elastigirl’s watch.

“Incredibles 2” arrived to a jaw-dropping $180 million in ticket sales at North American theaters over the weekend — roughly 30 percent more than box-office analysts had predicted early last week — giving Pixar a confidence boost following the forced departure of its creative chief, John Lasseter, earlier this month. “Incredibles 2” received an A-plus grade from ticket buyers in CinemaScore exit polls.

The opening total set a box-office record for an animated release. The touting of sales records by movie studios is usually meaningless spin; they don’t take inflation into account. But not in this case: Even after accounting for higher ticket prices, “Incredibles 2” beat Hollywood’s previous record-holder, “Shrek the Third” (DreamWorks Animation), which collected an adjusted $151 million in 2007, according to comScore data.

The thundering turnout for “Incredibles 2” reflected pent-up demand. The film returns the superheroic Mr. Incredible and his quick-thinking wife, Elastigirl, to big screens after a 14-year hiatus — this time with her in the forefront. Animated movies have also been in short supply, in part because of an ongoing retrenchment at DreamWorks, which was sold to NBCUniversal in 2016. The last animated blockbuster was Pixar’s “Coco,” which arrived in November and took in $807 million worldwide.

“Incredibles 2,” which cost Pixar’s corporate parent, the Walt Disney Company, at least $300 million to make and market worldwide, played more like a broad action film than a PG-rated cartoon. About 25 percent of the audience was over the age of 35, according to Disney, which is planning more “Incredibles” installments as part of an ongoing franchise.