Overall domestic box office receipts were down just 5 percent from past year, though that’s hardly cause for concern, as Jurassic World’s then-record-setting $208.8 million debut over the June 12-14 weekend in 2015 was always going to be a tough number to match, even for a film the size of Finding Dory.
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Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore said: “Finding Dory just showed total domination this weekend”.
It’s no surprise then that Nemo’s long-awaited sequel Finding Dory has smashed a box office record after just one weekend of its U.S. release. That beats the previous title holder Shrek the Third which in 2007 took in $121.6.
“Finding Nemo was beloved by audiences in theaters and for over a decade on home video, culminating in “Dory’s” performance that was 13 years in the making”.
It also features the voices of Diane Keaton, Albert Brooks and Idris Elba.
“Finding Dory” is the year’s second-biggest opening after “Captain America: Civil War” which amassed $179 million – the fifth highest of all time – following its April release. Before this weekend, Pixar’s best opening was “Toy Story 3”, which debuted with $110.3 million.in 2010.
Finding Dory debuted with $50 million internationally for a global total of $186.2 million as it opened in 32% of the worldwide marketplace. They connect with their audience and each other in such a strong way. It was followed by James Wan’s “The Conjuring 2”, which finished its second weekend with $15.6 million (for a domestic total of $71.7 million), and “Now You See Me 2”, which fell 57 percent to $9.7 million (for a USA total of $41.4 million).
Disney has had a banner year, with its films creating a bright spot in already lagging summer movie sales.
“Now You See Me 2” follows at #4 with $9.7 million, while “Warcraft” grabs #5 on the strength of its $6.5 million weekend.
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ComScore estimated that the audience was 62% female. The success of “Finding Dory” and “Central Intelligence” also comes at a critical moment after a few weekends of underwhelming sequels and all out flops.
