NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

‘Tarzan,’ ‘BFG’ dwarfed by ‘Dory,’ which stays no. 1

NEW YORK

It’s Dory’s ocean. The rest of the movies are just swimming in it.

The Pixar sequel “Finding Dory” led the box office for the third-straight weekend, dwarfing “The Legend of Tarzan” and Steven Spielberg’s Roald Dahl adaption “The BFG,” both big-budget debuts that had hoped to dominate the July Fourth holiday.

But modest enthusiasm for the high-profile new releases left the weekend to “Dory” again, which came in No. 1 with $41.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Disney expects the film to make about $50 million over the four-day holiday weekend. It’s grossed $538.2 million globally in three weeks.

“Tarzan” came the closest to dethroning “Dory” with $38.1 million. While that total was better than expected, it’s far from chest-thumping for a movie that cost Warner Bros. $180 million to make.

The weekend’s tailor-made option, “Independence Day: Resurgence,” had hoped to open big last week and play through the holiday weekend. Instead, the 20th Century Fox release bombed and dropped steeply in its second week, sliding 60 percent to $16.5 million in fifth place.

The diverse slate of releases didn’t produce a runaway hit, but overall business was up in theaters from recent July Fourth weekends, partially since the holiday fell on a Monday this year.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday also are included. Final four-day domestic figures will be released Tuesday.

1. “Finding Dory,” $41.9 million ($34.4 million international).

2. “The Legend of Tarzan,” $38.1 million ($18.8 million international).

3. “The Purge: Election Year,” $30.9 million ($130,000 international).

4. “The BFG,” $19.6 million ($3.9 million international).

5. “Independence Day: Resurgence,” $16.5 million ($40.2 million international).

Associated Press