Swimming into theaters this weekend as Fandangos top animated pre-seller of all time is Pixars long-awaited sequelFinding Dory,and theres no questioning the hold it has on worldwide audiences.
After the hefty grosses of films likeZootopia,The Jungle Book, andCaptain America: Civil War, Disney is looking at yet another 2016 box office giant with its sequel to the 2003 animated hit one that can set the studio back on course afterAlice Through the Looking Glassfailed to deliver at the domestic box office.
Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson star in this weeks other new wide release,Central Intelligence, an action comedy that will appeal to older audiences who may prefer to eschew animated fare, though it wont come anywhere close toFinding Dorys numbers.
Credit: Pixar; Claire Folger
Heres how the June 1719 box office battle could play out:
1.Finding Dory $100 million
Though the kiddie crowds that initially flocked to seeFinding Nemoin 2003 have now aged well into their teenage years, the film arguably has become Pixars defining movie.
On top of grossing$339 millionduring its original run, it has spawned video games, merchandise, and attractions at Disney theme parks inCalifornia,Florida,France, andJapan.
Judging from critical reviews (94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 7.57/10),Finding Doryis a rare case of a sequel matching its predecessor in terms of quality.
Still, this is a film that audiences would flock to see whether the reviews were golden or scathing, as the first film has become a cultural touchstone, and star DeGeneres has become a household name.Finding Dorywill handily take the box office crown, and has a chance of setting a record with the largest opening weekend for an animated film of all time (unadjusted for inflation) a distinction currently held by 2007sShrek the Third, which grossed $121.6 million in its opening weekend.
2.Central Intelligence $30 million
Though online buzz has been soft for the Kevin Hart/Dwayne Johnson flick, theres no denying the appeal ofCentral Intelligences leading men on their own, let alone together fronting a summer action comedy.
In 2013, HartsLet Me Explainstand-up special grossed an astounding $10 million in its opening weekend, averaging $11,450 per screen at 876 theaters.
Hart has ahealthy track recordheadlining comedies, including hits likeRide Alongand its sequel ($134.9 million and $90.9 million, respectively),Get Hard($90.4 million),The Wedding Ringer($64.5 million), andThink Like a Man($91.6 million).
And Johnson can count on a loyal fanbase, though hes typicallymore successful with action epicslikeSan Andreas($155.2 million) andFurious 7($353 million) than he is with films sold on his name alone, likeSnitch($42.9 million) andFaster($23.2 million).
Teaming Hart and Johnson, who co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards ceremony (up 22 percentin viewership from last years event) in April, for a featherweight popcorn movie will likely pay off, as the $50 million New Line film hits around 3,460 theaters this weekend with better-than-average reviews (58 percenton Rotten Tomatoes) for a summer comedy.
3.The Conjuring 2 $22 million
Matching the mammoth gross of 2013s horror hitThe Conjuring, its sequel pulled in $40.4 million in its opening weekend, easily besting its competition.
The film continues to play strong with audiences, picking up another $9.1 million on Monday and Tuesday on top of $51 million worldwide for a global total of $101 million over five days.
Strong critical reviews and positive word of mouth have madeThe Conjuring 2is the must-see horror film of the summer one fans have been waiting three years to see and its showing no signs of stopping any time soon.
ExpectThe Conjuring 2to drop roughly 4050 percent, hanging on stronger than most genre pictures as it offers effective counterprogramming to the family-focusedFinding Dory.
4.Now You See Me 2 $12.7 million
It failed to match the opening weekend gross of its forerunner, butNow You See Me 2held its own against a crowded weekend of sequels (The Conjuring 2) and action epics (Warcraft), debuting to a solid $22.4 million across its first three days of release.
What made the box office run of the originalNow You See Meso impressive was the films ability to sustain audiences attention, remaining in the top 10 for six consecutive weeks on its way to earning $117.7 million.
Though audiences havent turned their backs on it entirely its A- grade is in-line with the first films rating on CinemaScore the sequel faces a tougher road ahead.
ExpectNow You See Me 2to fall a bit harder around 4050 percent as wide releases likeFinding DoryandCentral Intelligencefurther complicate the overstuffed mainstream buffet amid an industry landscape that has so far been unkind to sequels in general.
5.Warcraft $10 million
Though its doing phenomenal business overseas,breaking records in Chinaon its way to$308 millionworldwide,Warcraftstumbled with domestic audiences, pulling in a soft $24.2 million during its opening weekend in North America, on a $160 million budget.
Despite titanic global numbers thus far, the fact remains thatWarcraftis still a video game adaptation, and game adaptations have traditionally been front-loaded performers that often drop significantly during their second weekend of release.Warcraftwill likely do the same, given itspoor critical reviewsand lukewarmB+ gradeon CinemaScore.
