'Finding Dory' still making box-office sparks; 'The BFG' fizzles out

‘Finding Dory’ still making box-office sparks; ‘The BFG’ fizzles out

By Deborah Vankin

July 2, 2016 11:49 AM PT

The Disney-Pixar blockbuster “Finding Dory” kept its box-office fireworks going this holiday weekend, holding its top spot for the third straight week. The animated sequel to 2003’s “Finding Nemo,” voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, grossed $13.4 million at the start of the weekend. It’s expected to bring in more than $40 million in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend, and more than $50 million for the four-day holiday.

Watch the trailer for “The Legend of Tarzan.”

“The Legend of Tarzan” didn’t exactly spark with audiences, but it did better than expected. The David Yates-directed film, staring Alexander Skarsgård as the man raised by apes and Margot Robbie as Jane, brought in $14 million on Friday and is on track to hit more than $36 million over the three-day weekend, with estimates of over $40 million over the four-day holiday. It was expected to draw about $30 million in the U.S. and Canada through Monday, so that’s a victory; but seeing as the picture cost Warner Bros. a whopping $180 million to make, it still has a long road ahead.

James DeMonaco’s “The Purge: Election Year” – the third film in the futuristic franchise where crime in America is legal for 12-hours every year – did open with a little pop and spark on Friday. The low-budget film, which cost $10 million, drew the biggest Friday haul at $14.5 million. It may finish the three-day weekend with as much as $33 million and about $37 million over the four-day holiday.

Steven Spielberg’s “The BFG,” an expensive, effects-heavy adaptation of Roald Dahl’s magical tale of a lonely girl amid giants, ultimately fizzled out at the box office like an ill-launched, sidewalk faulty firecracker. The Disney-Amblin picture, with a $140-million production budget, drew just $7 million on Friday and is expected to bring in only $21 million over the three-day weekend and $25 million in its first four days – about $5 million below expectations for the holiday weekend.

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