Before we get into the leaderboard for the weekend, a note on the record-breaking run of Finding Dory. If you have a kid — or have been around kids or were a kid yourself in the last two decades — you’ll know what a juggernaut Finding Nemo was. Kids were (and still are) obsessed with this movie, and Nemo in particular. It wasn’t a flash in the pan, either. Nemo has stood the test of time, and it seems that its follow-up, Dory, is poised to do the same. For now, at least, it’s shattering box office records, and bringing Disney a load of cash.

Let’s look at some numbers. Finding Dory’s domestic gross of $445 million has garnered it the #1 spot under the banner of highest grossing animated film (domestically), knocking of Shrek 2 ($441 million) — and it’s not done yet. Dory has also grossed $721 million worldwide, and it hasn’t even opened in the UK, Italy, or Germany yet. All of this has sent Disney on a rocket to the moon (made of money), scoring over $2 billion domestically this year already, and putting them at over $5 billion worldwide.


ghostbusters-cast-image
Image via Sony Pictures

Back down on Earth, as predicted, Ghostbusters’ spot as the box office lead on Friday was challenged and overtaken, ultimately, by The Secret Life of Pets. Ghostbusters’ $46 million weekend number is solid, though not grand, and given its $144 million price tag, it will need to perform steadily for awhile domestically and internationally to recoup. Sony has said that there will be sequels, so they are clearly expecting it to perform (which as I mentioned yesterday is something director Paul Feig’s movies tend to be — slow and steady moneymakers).

The Secret Life of Pets’ success will surely herald in a new franchise for Universal, as its $50 million this weekend adds up to over $203 million since its debut last weekend. That’s quite a haul. Once again, it’s good to be an animated movie in the summertime, when parents are looking to keep the kids busy and themselves cool by heading to a movie theater.

Elsewhere, The Legend of Tarzan continues to hold steady, even passing the $100 million mark and coming in third for the weekend. It’s certainly no bomb, and it has outperformed (in three weeks) Independence Day: Resurgence, which after a month still hasn’t hit $100 million domestically. Ouch.

Steve Spielberg’s The BFG also continues to underperform, while Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates and critically-acclaimed drama flick The Infiltrator also continue to find small audiences.


Check out the full Top 10 estimates below:

Rank

Title

Weekend Gross

Total Gross

1.

The Secret Life of Pets

$50,560,000

$203,147,865

2.

Ghostbusters

$46,000,000

$46,000,000

3.

The Legend of Tarzan

$11,120,000

$103,050,257

4.

Finding Dory

$11,040,000

$445,504,450

5.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

$7,500,000

$31,323,716

6.

The Purge: Election Year

$6,080,000

$71,001,660

7.

Central Intelligence

$5,300,000

$117,508,303

8.

The Infiltrator

$5,287,124

$6,749,973

9.

The BFG

$3,747,000

$47,336,611

10.

Independence Day: Resurgence

$3,450,000

$98,516,443


finding-dory-movie-image
Image via Pixar
tarzan-alexander-skarsgard
Image via Warner Bros.