“Finding Dory” Stays Strong; “The Purge” Debuts High

It was a fairly decent showing at the box office for some of the new releases this weekend, but as expected, none of them could take down what’s looking to be the biggest film of the year. Here’s what went down:

Finding Dory held on to the top spot at the box office for the third weekend in a row with a stellar $44.5 million estimated over the three day weekend. The film is well on its way to shooting over the $400 million mark, beating out Captain America: Civil War for the biggest grossing film of 2016 so far. At its current pace, Finding Dory could top out close to $500 million. 

Debuting in second place with $38.5 million was The Legend of Tarzan. It certainly outperformed out expectations, but the film is unlikely to hit anywhere near its $180 million budget, at least in North America.

Debuting in third place with an estimated $32 million is The Purge: Election Year. This move, with a budget of just $10 million, is already a hit, and like The Conjuring 2, managed to be a horror film sequel people were actually interested in seeing.

As for the rest of the top five, audiences were less interested in seeing Steven Spielberg’s The BFG, which could only muster up $19.5 million, to debut in fourth place. Meanwhile, Independence Day: Resurgence closed things out in fifth with a horrible $16.5 million. It’s doubtful the film will even hit $100 million in North America.

So, to recap, here were our predictions:

1) Finding Dory – $52 million
2) The Purge: Election Year – $29 million
3) Independence Day: Resurgence – $22 million
4) The BFG – $21 million
5) The Legend of Tarzan – $19 million

And here’s how the weekend is estimated to turn out:

1) Finding Dory – $44.5 million
2) The Legend of Tarzan – $32 million
3) The Purge: Election Year – $38.5 million
4) The BFG – $19.5 million
5) Independence Day: Resurgence – $16.5 million

Next weekend sees the release of The Secret Lives of Pets. Be sure to check back on Friday to see our predictions!