3rd time a charm for ‘Finding Dory’
And ‘Tarzan’ rides a wave of its own with $50 million-plus
Finding Dory continued to make Fourth of July fireworks.
Disney and Pixar’s buoyant animated sequel paddled to the top of the box office for a third straight week, clinching No. 1 with $50.2 million for the fourday holiday weekend and $380.5 million to date in the USA, according to studio estimates from tracking firm comScore.
The well-reviewed follow-up, which brings back Ellen DeGeneres as forgetful regal blue tang Dory, has now amassed $538.2 million globally. It has already outpaced its predecessor, Finding Nemo, which reeled in $191.5 million its first three weeks in 2003 on its way to $339.7 million total. Dory is now the second highest-grossing film of the year ( just behind Captain America: Civil War, which muscled to $405.6 million).
“Without a film like this generating this kind of revenue and attention, the summer box office would be hurting a little bit,” says comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
The Legend of Tarzan surprised with $45.6 million for second place. The fresh take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs character stars Alexander Skarsgård as the titular king of the jungle and Margot Robbie as headstrong heroine Jane. The film beat pundits’ predictions of a disappointing opening around $30 million, but the PG-13 movie still has a long way to go if it hopes to cover its $180 million budget. Low-budget thriller The Purge:
Election Year, which puts a political spin on the horror franchise, lobbied its way to third place and $34.8 million in four days. Its opening is about on par with predecessors The Purge ($34.1 million in 2013) and The Purge:
Anarchy ($29.8 million in 2014), both summer releases.
Underwhelming at No. 4, Disney’s The BFG stomped to a mere $22.3 million. The $140 million family adventure, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Mark Rylance as Roald Dahl’s big, friendly giant, is a rare misfire for Spielberg and Disney.
“Audiences that have an interest in a PG-rated movie went with Dory,” Dergarabedian says. “It’s a very high-class problem to have, because Disney has had so much great product this year.”
Rounding out the top five, critically maligned sequel Inde
pendence Day: Resurgence mustered $20.2 million for a total of $76.4 million in 11 days. Meanwhile, offbeat buddy comedy
Swiss Army Man deflated in its nationwide expansion, netting just $1.7 million in 636 theaters ($1.9 million in two weeks).
Final numbers are out Tuesday.