First off, I want to apologize for no weekend report this past week. I've been busy and I shut my blog off most of this past week (out of respect for the victims of the Orlando shooting and their families. Continue to keep Orlando in prayer).
Everyone already knew that Finding Dory was set to be a massive hit. It was a sequel many people were anticipating, and even with a 13 year gap, it still pulled in an unbelievable $55 million opening Friday, which included $9.3 million from its Thursday night previews. Strong critical reception (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) and an "A" CinemaScore are helping the animated sequel reach record-shattering heights. The previous opening day record for an animated film was last year's Minions ($46 million), while Shrek the Third had the single-day record overall ($47 million on its first Saturday). At its current pace, Dory will easily steal the record for the biggest opening ever for an animated film, which Shrek the Third has held for over nine years ($122 million).
How high will it go? With the fanbase rushing out, look for a bit of a drop on Saturday, while Sunday should be stronger than normal thanks to Father's Day. If it were to follow the trajectory of Inside Out, it would pull in a massive $148 million over the three-day stretch. Pixar and most analysts are aiming a little lower around $140 million, but don't be surprised if it goes closer to the number I'm putting up. With this kind of start, Finding Dory is set to play through the summer, and could very well challenge Shrek 2 ($447 million) to become the most successful animated movie of all-time domestically.
Central Intelligence also got off to a strong start on Friday, pulling in an estimated $13 million, ahead of last year's Spy ($10.3 million) and close to previous Kevin Hart hit Ride Along ($14.4 million). The Kevin Hart and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson team-up is tracking for a $35 million opening weekend, a strong second place to the Pixar blockbuster.
The one-two punch of Dory and Intelligence spelled bad news for all of last week's openers. The Conjuring 2, which opened virtually in line with its predecessor, was down 67% from last Friday to $5.4 million, on its way to a $16 million second weekend, down nearly 60%. Now You See Me 2 fell 67% from last Friday to $2.8 million, on its way to a $9 million second weekend, while Warcraft was off an alarming 82% to $1.9 million, on its way to just $7 million for its second weekend (its doing awesome in China though).
I will have reviews of Finding Dory and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows in the next couple of days. Weekend report also coming.
