Against a trifecta of new competition, Finding Dory once against emerged at the top of the domestic box office. The sequel pulled in roughly $50 million over the four day weekend, pushing its total gross to $380 million. If it grosses over $415 million, it will become the new record holder as the highest grossing Pixar film to date. This title is currently held by Toy Story 3. As it stands right now, the forgetful fish is only a few million behind its 2003 predecessor.
Warner Bros’ The Legend of Tarzan took second place this weekend with an estimated $45.5 million. Directed by David Yates and starring Alexander Skarsgard as the titular hero, the film surprisingly exceeded original expectations. According to Box Office Mojo, it was only expected to rake in upwards of $25 million. With an estimated $180 million budget, the man in the loincloth may need some additional help to stay afloat.
Taking third place this week is The Purge: Anarchy, which also garnered more than anticipated. The final number is not currently known but it could possibly finish with over $35 million. As it stands right now, the third film in the horror/action series has already earned its budget back three-fold.  Starring Frank Grillo, the film opened to mixed reviews but has nevertheless proved to be a sizable hit at the box office. Don’t be surprised to hear an announcement of a fourth entry in the not too distant future.
The Purge: Anarchy
The final new release to finish in the top five is Steven Spielberg’s The BFG. An adaptation of the Roald Dahl children’s story, it is expected to finish with roughly $22-25 million. Considering the pedigree behind the camera as well as the $140 million budget, the film had a disappointing debut, to say the least. With The Secret Life of Pets debuting next weekend, The BFG may lose out on its target demographic.
Closing out the top five this week is Independence Day: Resurgence with a gross of around $20 million. Moving from the number two spot to number five within a week, the film’s returns plummeted by almost 60%. Other holdovers from last week such as The Shallows also experienced drops due to the new competition.
In addition to The Secret Life of Pets, the next wide release is Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates on July 8.  The R-rated comedy could be in for a thrashing this upcoming weekend at the hands of Illumination Studios. Minions, their primary release last year, grossed over one billion dollars after opening in almost the same slot.
The Secret Life of Pets Opens July 8
Matt is a longtime film buff, writer and podcast host from Rhode Island. Ask him what his favorite films are and you will probably get a different answer every time. In addition to writing for The Nerd Stash, Matt writes for The Young Folks, which is also the home of his podcast Directors of Cinema.
