After all the hair-tearing internet frothing and debate about the film, it was finally time for Paul Feig's new Ghostbusters to face its biggest challenge: putting bums on seats. And the film did solid business, but couldn't push The Secret Life Of Pets from the top spot.
Illumination Entertainment's animated animal comedy was still ruling the roost, adding $50.5 million to its running total, which now sits at $203.1 million in the States and $253.9 million worldwide. It's unlikely to catch Finding Dory (more on that shortly) but is another success for the company.
As for Ghostbusters, it largely met expectations in terms of earnings, and rode a wave of mixed to positive reviews, disappointing those who had hoped it wouldn't work. The movie made $46 million in the US and has around $65 million globally. The Legend Of Tarzan slipped to third, adding $11.1 million and crossing the $100 million mark in the US. At fourth, Finding Dory continued its blockbuster run, adding another record to its list, taking the title of highest-grossing animated movie in the domestic chart. And at fifth, comedy Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates took in $7.5 million.
The Purge: Election Year fell to sixth and $6 million, while Central Intelligence earned $5.3 million. Inn seventh place we find the other new arrival of the week, as the Bryan Cranston-starring drug-smuggling drama The Infiltrator, which made $5.2 million, which is impressive given that it opened on 1,600 screens compared to, say, The Purge on 2,671 screens.
The BFG was down a couple of places to ninth, adding $3.7 million, and Independence Day: Resurgence, which slipped to 10th on $3.4 million. The sequel has scraped towards $100 million domestically, but might just miss that target, given that it stands at $98.5 million in the States.