That Pixar magic is real: even though 'Finding Dory' is far from being Pixar's most popular property, the movie's debut broke box office records in North America last weekend.
'Finding Dory''s debut, which made an astounding $136.2 million, now stands as the best domestic debut for an animated movie, and the 18th best debut in box office history. That's on top of the $50 million the movie made in the international scene, totaling a whopping $186.2 million in the worldwide box office.
The 13-years-in-the-making sequel to Pixar's popular 'Finding Nemo,' starring Ellen DeGeneres as the titular Dory, also broke the record that once belonged to DreamWorks' 'Shrek The Third.' (Pixar's last record-breaker was 'Toy Story 3' back in 2010, which earned $110.3 million.) Despite sequels generally not doing well in the summer box office, the name power and consistency the animation studio commands, as well as the loyalty (and money) families provide propelled 'Dory' to the top spot.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, aside from families being the biggest mover for 'Finding Dory,' 26% of the audience were adults, and only 9% were teens. This is in line with various memes, Facebook posts, and tweets floating around the internet last week stating that young adults—who were either teens or children when 'Finding Nemo' first came out in 2003—would jokingly be "pushing kids out of the way" in cinemas because they had waited 13 years for this sequel.
Prior to the weekend, the movie earned $9.2 million during Thursday night preview showings, also beating out the old record held by last year's 'Minions,' which earned $6.2 million. The movie also beat out other favorites, including the debuting action comedy 'Central Intelligence' (starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart) and horror sequel 'The Conjuring 2' by a landslide, with the gap between 'Finding Dory' and 'Central Intelligence' a staggering $100 million.
