The numbers are from the US July 4th Holiday Weekend box office and for the third week running, Finding Dory keeps on swimming faster than its competition, bringing in an estimated $41.9 million from Friday to Sunday. By the end of Monday, it’s expected to pass the total box office achieved by the original film, and become the fifth highest grossing Animated Film of all time. Meanwhile, Dory‘s international take is about to hit $540 million after taking another $34.4 million across the weekend.
While things are going well for Disney on this front, they may have cannibalised themselves with one of three major new releases this past weekend, The BFG (which also premiered in Australia this weekend). The film ended up in 4th place, bringing in an estimated $19.58 million over the three day weekend. The $140 million film is now on track to come under this threshold in its domestic release, though may make up ground internationally. It opened well below the two other new releases this weekend. The Legend of Tarzan took in $38.1 million – well above industry expectations – and the third entry in The Purge horror film series, The Purge: Election Year, took in $30.8 million across the three days. The film is due to open next week in Australia (July 14th), while Tarzan hits our screens this Thursday.
In its second week, Independence Day: Resurgence fell to 5th place, taking in an estimated $16.5 million, which is a drop of some 60% from its opening weekend. Elsewhere in the US box office, the recent hit of the Sydney Film Festival, Swiss Army Man, opened in 633 new theatres, and came in at number 11 with almost $1.5 million. Our Kind of Traitor opened in limited release and took in around $1 million.
The crowded family film market will continue next weekend in the US with the release of the highly anticipated The Secret Life of Pets, while Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates hopes to bring an older demographic into the cinemas.
US Box Office – Friday 1st July to Sunday 3rd July
1. Finding Dory – $41,900,542
2. The Legend of Tarzan – $38,135,000 –
3. The Purge: Election Year – $30,870,000
4. The BFG – $19,584,969
5. Independence Day: Resurgence – $16,500,000
6. Central Intelligence – $12,330,000
7. The Shallows – $9,000,000
8. Free State of Jones – $4,134,000
9. The Conjuring 2 – $3,850,000
10. Now You See Me 2 – $2,950,000
11. Swiss Army Man – $1,447,536
12. Our Kind of Traitor – $1,001,354
13. X-Men: Apocalypse – $940,000
14. Me Before You – $810,000
15. Captain America: Civil War – $771,835
16. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows – $765,000
17. The Jungle Book – $689,990 –
18. Warcraft – $491,000
19. Love & Friendship – $410,830
20. Alice Through the Looking Glass – $382,843
All numbers are in US$. Figures in this article courtesy of Box Office Mojo. The Legend of Tarzan opens in Australian cinemas this Thursday, July 7th.
———-
