‘Finding Dory’ Blows Animated Opening Record Out of the Water With $136.2 Million

“Central Intelligence” comes in a distant second with $34.5 million

Finding Dory box office breaks record

Disney-Pixar’s “Finding Dory” had the biggest opening weekend of all time for an animated film, bringing in an estimated $136.2 million, well ahead of initial expectations.

The record-breaking sequel to “Finding Nemo” set a huge margin between past top opener “Shrek the Third,” which grossed $121.6 million in its first weekend.

It is also the second-largest June opening of all time, behind Universal’s 2015 dinosaur hit “Jurassic World.”

Estimates for “Dory” kept jumping higher over the weekend as it picked up the pace, tracking to top $130 million. Initial predictions from Disney set the opening at roughly $100 million, by comparison.

Playing on 4,305 screens, the film set records throughout the weekend, bringing in $55 million on Friday for the biggest single day at the box office for an animated movie. It topped the previous record of $47 million set by DreamWorks’ “Shrek the Third” in 2007.

“Dory” also shattered the animated box office record for Thursday night showings. The Disney-Pixar film brought in $9.2 million on Thursday, compared with the $6.2-million Thursday Universal’s “Minions” had in 2015, which previously held the record for the highest-grossing animated movie during Thursday previews.

Meanwhile, New Line, Warner Bros. and Universal’s “Central Intelligence” came in close to predictions, grossing $34.5 million from 3,508 locations.

The Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart action comedy was projected to earn $35 million.

Warner Bros. scary sequel “The Conjuring 2” came in third place with $15.6 million in its second weekend in theaters. Fourth position went to Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me 2,” grossing $9.7 million in week two. And fifth place went to Universal’s “Warcraft,” playing in its second weekend with a gross of $6.5 million.

“Dory” also broke Pixar records, easily beating the opening weekend of “Toy Story 3,” which earned $110 million in 2010.

The sequel crushed previous Pixar opening Thursday performances, too, including $4 million for “Toy Story 3” and $3.7 million for “Inside Out.”

Heading into the weekend, “Dory” was Fandango’s top pre-selling animated movie of all time, beating previous record holder “Minions.” It also earned an A CinemaScore, reflecting strong intent to watch among those surveyed.

The sequel comes 13 years after “Finding Nemo,” which opened to $70.2 million and has grossed $936.7 million worldwide since.

“Finding Dory” features the voices of Ellen DeGeneresEd O’NeillTy Burrell, Diane Keaton and Albert Brooks, and currently holds a “fresh” score of 95 percent on critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

“Central Intelligence” is about a man named Calvin (Hart) whose life didn’t turn out the way he had anticipated. Enter Bob Stone (Johnson), Calvin’s once-bullied high school classmate turned CIA agent. Bob enlists Calvin to help him on a top-secret mission, causing all sorts of ruckus.

The action-comedy now has a score of 66 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and an A- CinemaScore — indicating strong anticipation among surveyed moviegoers. “Central Intelligence” cost roughly $50 million to produce.

The Top Five:

1. “Finding Dory” (Disney) — $136.2 million in Week 1 ($136.2 million total)
2. “Central Intelligence” (Warner Bros.) — $34.5 million in Week 1 ($34.5 million total)
3. “The Conjuring 2” (Warner Bros.) — $15.6 million in Week 2 ($71.7 million total)
4. “Now You See Me 2” (Lionsgate) — $9.7 million in Week 2 ($41.4 million total)
5. “Warcraft” (Legendary/Universal) — $6.5 million in Week 2 ($37.7 million total)

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