The Pixar sequel – featuring the voice of Ellen DeGeneres as the forgetful blue fish – led the box office for the third straight weekend. The Disney animation remains unmoved at the peak with an estimated $41.9 million (42.6% decrease), bringing its total domestic income to $372.2 million so far. And “The BFG” opened in fourth place, with a $19.6 million gross.
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Burbank, California-based Disney also released Spielberg’s “The BFG”, which is based on the book by Roald Dahl and features Oscar victor Mark Rylance as the benevolent giant who befriends a young girl.
Hollywood’s big- budget summer line-up continued to falter over the weekend, at least in North America, as two movies with a combined US$500 million (S$671.5 million) in production and global marketing costs arrived to US$57.7 million in total ticket sales. While it couldn’t beat Dory, the film still did better than expected. That’s comparable to films like The Avengers and Batman V Superman, and a $40 million start isn’t good enough.
Warner Bros.is looking to overseas audiences to help “The Legend of Tarzan”.
The BFG – Steven Spielberg’s adaption of the Roald Dahl novel – debuted in fourth place after taking $19.6m (£14.8m). While that total was better than expected, it’s far from chest-thumping for a movie that cost Warner Bros. Friday came in much stronger than we thought. The Associated Press reports that Spielberg’s Disney milestone was introduced with much fanfare, including a red carpet premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in France, making it even more disappointing that it hasn’t done well at the box office this summer.
In fifth place was Independence Day: Resurgence which made $16.5 million in its second week of release.
A24’s expansion of offbeat comedy “Swiss Army Man“, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, turned in a respectable $1.7 million weekend at 636 locations. Debuting in limited release is Bleecker Street’s Captain Fantastic, Saban Films’ Cell, Well Go USA’s Cold War 2, ESX Entertainment’s The Dog Lover, Independent’s Fathers and Daughters, Sony Classics’ Our Little Sister, Magnolia’s Zero Days and Music Box Films’ Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.
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Other returning entries that did not really maintain their reception are “Central Intelligence”, which grossed $3.7 million; “Shallows”, which earned $ 3 million; “The Conjuring 2”, which earned $1.2 million on Friday; and “Free State of Jones”, which collected $1.182 million on Friday.
