This weekend in the States marked the start of the Independence Day celebrations, where people gather to remember those the world lost fighting aliens in... Hang on, that's something else. Nope, in the midst of a food and firework orgy, there were also films to watch, though the newcomers had to bow before the altar of Pixar, as Finding Dory stayed on top across the four-day weekend with an estimated $50.1 million.
The animation house was in a celebratory mood as Dory keeps surging, surpassing Inside Out to become the second-highest grossing domestic release in its history, and taking square aim at Toy Story 3's $415 plus top spot. Worldwide, the movie has taken in more than $548 million and still has a whole swathe of other countries to open in, including the UK. It could well become 2016's biggest release.
After a battle for the other positions that saw The Purge: Election Year enjoy a strong Friday start, it was The Legend Of Tarzan that emerged in second place, performing better than some had worried given its mixed reviews and seeming mild audience interest. The movie took in $45.5 million in the States, with its global total standing at $64.3 million after one weekend on release. But it still has to make back a $180 million budget plus marketing costs, so there's a long way to climb on that financial vine. By comparison, Election Year was pumped out by the Blumhouse team for Universal, with costs kept low. So that third place launch at $34.7 million initial figure is much healthier when you consider that the film's budget was in the $10 million range.
Unfortunately there always has to be a loser when several films arrive at once, and this week it was Steven Spielberg, whose latest, The BFG, wasn't a box office giant. Despite the combo of a proven director and a well-known children's story, the film, which cost $140 million to make, stumbled into fourth place. There's a chance it could pick up some business as the summer rumbles on, but there's so much competition these days that coasting on word of mouth might not be enough to turn a profit.
Though it's essentially named after the holiday, Independence Day: Resurgence failed to see much of a boost, instead sinking from second to fifth and $20.2 million. It still has yet to crack the $100 million barrier in the US after a couple of weeks on release, but is doing decent business overseas, leading to a worldwide total of $253.4 million so far.
Central Intelligence slipped to sixth, earning $15 million, while shark thriller The Shallows was seventh with $10.4 million. Historical drama Free State Of Jones dropped to eighth and $5 million, with The Conjuring 2 falling a few places to ninth, but still making $4.5 million. And finally we have Now You See Me 2 at 10th, another victim of a largely sequel-sick summer, currently languishing with $49.3 million after four weeks on release.