While the BBQs are being heated up and fireworks are being prepared, the holiday weekend isn’t keeping audiences away from the multiplex this weekend. There were plenty of new movies on hand, but one that has been in cinemas for a few weeks continued to dominate, while another from the pioneer of the modern blockbuster failed to connect.
Disney/Pixar‘s “Finding Dory” spent July 4th at the top of the box office for its third straight week. Adding another big $41.9 million to the bank, it brings the domestic haul to $372 million and the worldwide total to $538 million. The international tally of $166 million is currently swimming well behind the $555 million total of “Finding Nemo,” but there are more territories to come in the weeks and months ahead, so we’ll see how it all finally adds up. But no matter what, this is another monster success for the mouse house, and it should finish the holiday weekend with about $50 million added to the bottom line.
READ MORE: ‘Finding Dory’ Sets Its Own Course, And Is A Worthy Successor To ‘Finding Nemo’ [Review]
In something of a surprise, lukewarm reviews didn’t stop moviegoers from swinging into theaters showing “The Legend Of Tarzan.” Warner Bros. reboot of the classic character hauled in a solid $38.1 million to land in second place this weekend. It’s not a grand slam, but definitely a triple, and possibly an inside-the-park home run. Certainly, the A- CinemaScore suggested audiences had more fun with the movie than critics, and with the movie expected to tally around $44 million by the end of Monday, it’ll be interesting to see if WB has strong enough faith in the numbers and response to push ahead with franchise plans.
Speaking of franchises, the horror series “The Purge” is one that continues to bring big bank for Universal. The latest entry, “The Purge: Election Year,” took third place with $30 million, a figure that is pretty much on par with the debut numbers of its predecessors “The Purge” ($34 million) and “The Purge: Anarchy” ($29 million), showing that interest in the property hasn’t faded one iota. It’ll likely end the Independence Day weekend around the $34 million mark, which is very good for the low-budget flick, and you can probably expect that Universal is already making plans for a fourth. Let’s just hope it’s not called “The Purge: The Trump Years.”
One director who couldn’t deliver the magic this weekend was Steven Spielberg, with “The BFG” earning a tepid $19 million. It’s the director’s worst opening since “The Terminal,” and while “Bridge Of Spies” did less when it went into wide release last fall, expectations were a lot lower for that adult drama, which was made on a considerably smaller budget. The writing was on the wall for this one ever since the mild reception at the Cannes Film Festival in May, but with “Ready Player One” and “Indiana Jones 5” among the projects on his plate, Spielberg will be back on top in no time.
In limited release, “Our Kind Of Traitor” did solid business earning $1 million on over 370 screens, while WWII drama “The Innocents” ($31,500) and “Life, Animated” ($26,547) also did well on a trio of screens each. [Box Office Mojo]
1. “Finding Dory” — $41.9 million ($372.2 mil.)
2. “The Legend Of Tarzan” — $38.1 million
3. “The Purge: Election Year” — $30.8 million
4. “The BFG” — $19.5 million
5. “Independence Day: Resurgence” — $16.5 million ($72.6 mil.)
6. “Central Intelligence” — $12.3 million ($91.7 mil.)
7. “The Shallows” — $9 million ($35.2 mil.)
8. “Free State Of Jones” — $4.1 million ($15.1 mil.)
9. “The Conjuring 2” — $3.8 million ($95.2 mil.)
10. “Now You See Me 2” — $2.9 million ($58.6 mil.)