By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --The forgetful blue fish of "Finding Dory" is box office gold.
The Pixar sequel far surpassed its already ocean-sized expectations to take in $136.2 million in North American theaters, making it the highest-grossing animated debut of all time, not adjusting for inflation, according to comScore estimates Sunday.
The 2007 film "Shrek the Third" was the previous record-holder, with a $121.6 million debut.
"Finding Dory," which comes 13 years after "Finding Nemo," is also the second-largest June opening of all time, with "Jurassic World" at No. 1. The well-reviewed film features the voices of Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks.
Going into the weekend, analysts expected "Finding Dory" to draw big, $100 million-plus numbers, but never this big.
"The thought was: 'Could this be the movie to eclipse "Toy Story 3's" opening?' not, 'Could it become the biggest animated opening of all time?'" said Paul Dergarabedian, comScore's senior media analyst. "That's the power of the Pixar brand."
Until now, "Toy Story 3" was Pixar's biggest opening ever, with $110.3 million.
Disney Executive Vice President of Distribution Dave Hollis was particularly heartened that the film did such robust late-night business on Friday and Saturday.
"That's really a testament to this being a picture for everyone – not just for families," Hollis said.
"Finding Dory" has the animated seas to itself until "The Secret Life of Pets" opens July 8.
The Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson buddy comedy "Central Intelligence" also had a relatively muscular weekend, with a better-than-expected $34.5 million, putting it in second place.
"It's a real home run," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' executive vice president of domestic distribution. "These two comedians are just stars. They connect with their audience and each other in such a strong way. You just laugh when you watch them."
"Central Intelligence" cost a reported $50 million to make and scored especially well with younger audiences, who the studio hopes will propel word-of-mouth business in weeks to come. The next major comedy releases don't come until mid-July, with "Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates" and "Ghostbusters."
In third place, the James Wan horror pic "The Conjuring 2" fell 62 percent in its second weekend in theaters, earning $15.6 million and bringing its domestic total to $71.7 million.
Rounding out the top five were "Now You See Me 2," with $9.7 million, and "Warcraft," with $6.5 million.
Overall, the weekend is down nearly 5 percent from last year, when "Inside Out" launched with $90.4 million and "Jurassic World" earned $106.6 million in its second weekend in theaters.
Still, Dergarabedian says the comparatively big audiences this weekend are good for business in the long run because they'll be exposed to trailers for upcoming summer films. The success of "Finding Dory" and "Central Intelligence" also comes after a few weekends of underwhelming sequels and all-out flops.
"A movie like 'Dory' can reinvigorate a marketplace that has been in the doldrums for the last few weeks," he said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1."Finding Dory," $136.2 million ($50 million international).
2."Central Intelligence," $34.5 million ($6.8 million international).
3."The Conjuring 2," $15.6 million ($41.9 million international).
4."Now You See Me 2," $9.7 million ($15.8 million international).
5."Warcraft," $6.5 million ($17.7 million international).
6."X-Men: Apocalypse," $5.2 million ($12.8 million international).
7."Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," $5.2 million ($10.5 million international).
8."Me Before You," $4.2 million ($13.5 million international).
9."Alice Through the Looking Glass," $3.6 million ($8 million international).
10."Captain America: Civil War," $2.3 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and Canada), according to comScore:
1. "Finding Dory," $50 million.
2. "The Conjuring 2," $41.9 million.
3. "Warcraft," $17.7 million.
4. "Now You See Me 2," $15.8 million.
5. "Me Before You," $13.5 million.
6. "X-Men: Apocalypse," $12.8 million.
7. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows," $10.5 million.
8. "Alice Through the Looking Glass," $8 million.
9. "Central Intelligence," $6.8 million.
10. "The Angry Birds Movie," $6.3 million.
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More