Finding Dory outswims box office competition

1 movie in North America for a second weekend, earning $73.2 million in receipts, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.

Walt Disney Co’s Finding Dory placed first at the box office for a second weekend, beating the modest opening for Independence Day: Resurgence, a big summer release from Twentieth Century Fox. The original took in $306.2 million overall at home. It should surpass Up’s $293 million this coming week and the $340 million the original Finding Nemo grossed in 2003 by next weekend. Roland Emmerich’s sequel to his 1996 alien invasion movie will need a strong performance at the worldwide box office if it is going to recoup its reported $165-$200 million price tag. “It’s been a go-to movie for everyone and that’s the magic of the Pixar brand”.

The other top earners at the box office this weekend all suffered from what I can only discern as a severe lack of seagulls. The Shallows now has an extra kick driving it into the traditionally lucrative holiday weekend ahead.

In the crowded field, some gambles didn’t pay off. The film cost $50 million to make, though STX is on the hook for only a percentage of that.

Even though it had a massive marketing campaign with headliner Matthew McConaughey appearing all over the televison interview shows, “Free State of Jones” only mustered $7.8 million putting it in 5th place.

The new Dwayne Johnson and Kevin hart comedy Central Intelligence had a fairly strong second weekend with $18.37M. The movie’s theater average is $783.