It was a great weekend for ocean themed movies and a not so great weekend for everything else. Let’s take a look!
PIXAR’s Finding Dory took first place again following a record setting opening weekend with an excellent $72.9 million. This is good for a cumulative total of $286 million. Look for it to set some more records in the near future when it defeats Shrek 2 for the title of the highest grossing animated film ever and becomes the first to hit $500 million domestically. Get ready for Finding Bubbles.
In second place is Independence Day: Resurgence which is another way-too-late sequel. Unfortunately this one is not fairing nearly as well as Finding Dory, having opened with a mediocre $41 million. International dollars could still save this thing (globally it’s up to $140 million) but I doubt this was the type of opening that 20th Century Fox was hoping for when they green-lit this. The fact that audiences don’t seem to be enjoying it (it’s already at a poor 5.8/10 rating on IMDB and a horrendous 39% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes) makes me think that this one won’t have staying power. What’s worse is that this opening is below the original’s $63 million. Remember, that one came out 20 years ago when ticket prices were around $4.50. Ouch.
Last week’s Central Intelligence took 3rd with $18.2 million and remains on track to finish over $100 million.
In fourth we have our second new release for the weekend (and the only one having any success getting butts in seats). It’s the new shark thriller The Shallows which took in a solid $16.8 million. With a low budget ($17 million) and positive reviews (73% on Rotten Tomatoes), this one is shaping up to be somewhat of a sleeper hit.
The Matthew McConaughey led Civil War film Free State of Jones flopped in sixth with $7.5 million. That $50 million budget has to be looking pretty scary right now for the people at STX Entertainment. While McConaughey brings the acclaim and the awards nominations to a lot of his films, his box office track record is still not the most consistent as evidenced by this film.
So, I turn the discussion over to you! Do Independence Day and Free State of Jones deserve better? How high can Finding Dory go? Who will be number one next weekend with the release of The Purge: Election Year, The BFG, and The Legend of Tarzan? Comment away!
Source: Box Office Mojo