Movies
Box Office Recap: ‘Dory’ Swims Past ‘Tarzan’ & ‘BFG’
Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory remains at the top of the box office charts in its third weekend out.
The animated film has earned an additional $41.9 million from 4,305 theaters for the three-day weekend, and $50.2 million for the long four-day weekend. Dory has accumulated a total of $380.5 million domestically and nearly $550 million globally.
“It’s showing no signs of slowing down,” said Dave Hollis, distribution chief at Disney, Pixar’s parent company. “As people are weighing what to see, it stands out as the only option that’s going to entertain everyone.”
The weekend saw three new wide releases attempting to dethrone the lovable-but-forgetful fish from the top spot, which included: Disney’s The BFG, Universal’s The Purge: Election Year and Warner Bros.’ The Legend of Tarzan.
Landing in second place is Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow’s newcomer The Legend of Tarzan. With a hefty $180 million production budget, the film debuted with $38.1 million from 3,561 theaters and an estimated four-day gross of $45.6 million. Directed by David Yates, the action-adventure film stars Alexander Skarsgard in the title role opposite Margot Robbie, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent and Christoph Waltz.
Alexander Skarsgard & Margot Robbie Run Through The Jungle in THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
Moviegoers – who were slightly more female (51 percent) and over the age of 25 (70 percent) – gave Tarzan an A-minus CinemaScore, while critics gave it a 34 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“We thought we’d be in the $35 million range for the four days, but we’ve come in higher each day,” said Warner Bros. domestic distribution chief Jeff Goldstein, who credits strong exits and the A- CinemaScore. “And the movie was always meant to be a big player internationally.”
Universal’s The Purge: Election Year placed in third place with a three-day total of $30.9 million from 2,796 theaters and an estimated four-day sum of $34.8 million. With a production budget of only $10 million, the horror threequel was the financial winner for the weekend.
Directed by James DeMonaco, Purge earned a B-plus CinemaScore from moviegoers and a 54 percent “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
Disney and Steven Spielberg’s BFG was the weekend’s biggest flop, opening with only $19.6 million for the three-day weekend from 3,357 locations and $22.3 million for the four-day gross. Despite its poor debut, the film – which landed in fourth place –received solid reviews from critics (71 percent “fresh” score) and an A-minus CinemaScore.
Based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book about a man-eating giant (Mark Rylance) who softens upon meeting a young orphan girl (Ruby Barnhill), BFG moviegoers were primarily families (60 percent) and skewed more female (54 percent).
“All of us are very, very proud of the film. And are encouraged in the way people responded, from the first screening at Cannes to strong reviews to the CinemaScore,” said Disney distribution exec VP Dave Hollis. “And we are hoping for resilient weekday business because of the availability of the family audience, plus strong business internationally.”
Rounding out the top five is Fox’s Independence Day: Resurgence with $16.5 million for the three days (a 60 percent decline from opening weekend). The sequel has accumulated $20.2 million for the four days, putting its domestic total at $76.4 million through Monday.
Top 10 Films at Weekend Box Office: July 1-3
- Finding Dory — $41.9 million
- The Legend of Tarzan — $31.1 million
- The Purge: Election Year — $30.9 million
- The BFG — $19.6 million
- Independence Day: Resurgence — $16.5 million
- Central Intelligence — $12.3 million
- The Shallows — $9.0 million
- Free State of Jones — $4.1 million
- The Conjuring 2 — $3.9 million
- Now You See Me 2 — $2.95 million