On Saturday of opening weekend, I went to see Tag in theaters and a curious thing happened. There was a sign on the door of each of the theaters in the Marcus Theaters venue that, upon closer inspection, actually had to do with Incredibles 2. The signage mentioned flashes in the movie that could cause discomfort for some viewers, including those who struggle with epilepsy.
Tag had no such issues.
The signage on each of the theaters was bold and right by the entrance, and seemingly came together after people on social media complained about a few sequences in the new Disney and Pixar sequel. For example, the epilepsy foundation shared:
If you've seen Incredibles 2 -- and yes we are about to get into minor spoilers -- the new movie follows the Incredibles, most specifically Elastigirl, as she goes out into the public to fight baddies in the attempt to give superheroes a good name again. As you may remember from the events in The Incredibles, superheroes are illegal in the Parr family's world, but Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible and their kids are hoping to change that with some help from their new friends at a company called DEVTECH. Elastigirl's foe at the start of the movie is a character named Screenslaver, who "enslaves" members of the populace through the use of hypnotizing technology, and that's where the major flashes come in.
An example of the Screenslaver's strobes can be seen, below, although we should note that they move and "flash" on the screen. There is, in fact, an entire sequence when Elastigirl tracks the Screenslaver into his lair and has a lengthy fight scene in a cage that is filled with the lights in question.
A blogger named Veronica Lewis has been credited with bringing public awareness to the potential issue, and she notes the scenes work well within the plot but some should simply take heed of the warning before seeing the movie. Following the post, it looks as if (at least some) theaters were quick to take note and take action. So, for those of you who saw Incredibles 2 this weekend, were the scenes disconcerting? Did theaters near you have a note posted outside?
This wouldn't be the first time a movie has triggered seizures in viewers. Memorably, Twilight: Breaking Dawn featured birthing scenes that caused photosensitivity in some viewers at the theater, as well.
All in all, potential flashes don't seem to have kept too many people away. Incredibles 2 is expected to have a behemoth opening weekend and is already tracking to be Pixar's largest opening weekend of all time. To check out more from this weekend's box office, take a look at CinemaBlend's full report.
This poll is no longer available.
