Pixar

“Finding Dory” has already broken a major box office record with a $9.2 million haul on Thursday, easily topping “Minions,” which previously held the record for highest grossing animated movie during Thursday previews.

“Minions,” released by Universal in 2015, grossed $6.2 million on a Thursday, while previous franchise installment “Despicable Me” grossed $4.7 million on a Thursday, as well.

“Dory,” a sequel to “Finding Nemo,” crushed previous Pixar opening performances, including $4 million for “Toy Story 3” and $3.7 for “Inside Out.”

Also Read: 'Finding Dory' Deep-Sixes 'Minions' to Become Fandango's Top Animated Pre-Seller Ever

“Finding Dory” is expected to open with an estimated $125 million, and is fighting for the position of the top opening for animated film of all time, currently held by “Shrek the Third” with $121.6 million. If it beats the opening of “Toy Story 3,” which earned $110 million in 2010, it would at least break a Pixar record.

Heading into the weekend, “Dory” was Fandango’s top pre-selling animated movie of all time, beating previous record holder “Minions.”

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 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.

Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart‘s action comedy “Central Intelligence” fought its way to $1.84 million at the Thursday previews.

Heading into the weekend, the film is projected to earn $35 million.

Also Read: 5 Reasons Why 'Central Intelligence' Might Blow Past Expectations

“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 60 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and social media hype has been strong — Johnson and Hart asked for video reactions of fans after the Thursday night showings.

The Thursday preview gross is a great start — in comparison, Hart’s “Ride Along 2” earned $1.26 million on that day back in January. “Barbershop: The Next Cut” made $735,000.

New Line, Warner Bros. and Universal’s “Central Intelligence” cost roughly $50 million to produce.

The Ultimate Guide to Dwayne Johnson's Upcoming Movie and TV Projects (Photos)

The Rock has gone from being one of the biggest names in WWE to one of the hardest working men in Hollywood. As he continues to announce new projects via social media, TheWrap lists Dwayne Johnson's insane schedule for the upcoming years. Disclaimer: Some of these projects are in script phase or have just been announced, so are subject to changes.
"Hobbs & Shaw"
Universal set a "Fast and Furious" spinoff, titled "Hobbs & Shaw," starring Johnson and Jason Statham on their schedule, slated for August 2. David Leitch is directing, and Eiza González, Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby also star.

Universal
"Jumanji: The Next Level"

After the success of 2017's "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," which grossed almost a billion dollars, Sony has set its sequel, also starring Nick Jonas, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart, for December 13.
Sony
"Jungle Cruise"

Johnson will star in Disney’s live-action “Jungle Cruise,” which is based on its popular theme-park ride. “Jungle Cruise” will also star Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall and Jesse Plemons, and Jaume Collet-Serra is directing. It is set to hit theaters July 24, 2020.
Disney
"Ballers" (Season 5)
The fifth season of "Ballers" was greenlit last October, with Johnson reprising his role of retired NFL player turned financial manager, Spencer Strasmore.
HBO
"Black Adam"
In 2016, it was announced Johnson would star in a "Black Adam" spinoff movie. Johnson has been attached to play the character since 2008. Most recently, Jaume Collet-Serra was being eyed to direct the film for New Line Cinema. Adam Sztykiel (“Rampage”) is writing the screenplay.
DC Comics/Getty Images
"Red Notice"

Johnson will star alongside Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds in the international heist thriller "Red Notice," written and directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber ("Skyscraper"). Initially, the project had been set up at Universal, but in July, it moved to Netflix. It is set to begin production in 2020.
Getty Images
"The King"

In 2018, it was announced Johnson would star as Hawaiian king Kamehameha I in Robert Zemeckis’ “The King.” Warner Bros. and New Line picked up the package. “King” is based on a spec script written by Randall Wallace (“Braveheart”). Johnson will produce alongside his Seven Bucks Productions partners Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia, as well as FlynnPictureCo’s Beau Flynn, Zemeckis and Wallace.
Getty Images
"Journey 3: From the Earth to the Moon"
In 2012, it was reported that Johnson would reprise his role as Hank from "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" in a third installation. He replaced Brendan Fraser, who starred as Trevor Anderson, in the 2008 "Journey to the Center of the Earth." However, there has been no recent movement on the project.
New Line Cinema
"Big Trouble in Little China"
In 2015, The Rock was in negotiations to star and produce the remake of John Carpenter's cult classic "Big Trouble in Little China," written by "X-Men: First Class" scribes Ashley Miller and Zach Stentz.
Getty Images
"The Janson Directive"
This film is optioned, with Johnson set to take on the role of Navy SEAL Paul Janson. Universal foresees the project as potentially launching a franchise akin to its successful “Jason Bourne” series, also based on the late Robert Ludlum's best-selling novels.
Getty Images
"Alpha Squad Seven"
DreamWorks won the rights to the sci-fi pic "Alpha Squad Seven" in May 2015, to which Johnson is attached to star. The film is still in script phase.

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From “Hobbs & Shaw,” which opens August 2, to “Jungle Cruise” and “John Henry and the Statesmen” — The Rock sure has some busy years ahead of him

The Rock has gone from being one of the biggest names in WWE to one of the hardest working men in Hollywood. As he continues to announce new projects via social media, TheWrap lists Dwayne Johnson's insane schedule for the upcoming years. Disclaimer: Some of these projects are in script phase or have just been announced, so are subject to changes.

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