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

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.”

Also Read: 'Finding Dory' Breaks Single-Day Animated Record With $55 Million on Friday

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.

Also Read: 'Finding Dory' Looks to Break 2016 Sequel Slump With $125 Million Opening

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.

Also Read: Pixar Unveils Teaser for Adorable New Short Film, 'Piper' (Video)

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.

Also Read: 3 Reasons Why Summer Box Office Is Off to Slow Start

“Finding Dory” features the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Ed O’Neill, Ty 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)