'Dory' stays afloat, 'The Legend of Tarzan' overachieves, 'Purge' slays 'The BFG'

Weekend Box Office July 1 - 3, 2016

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) - I try to remain objective when it comes to box office numbers. Nonetheless, it's hard not to feel disheartened today looking over the weekend numbers. While most of the new releases, as well as at least one notable hold-over, outperformed expectations, there was one clear loser this weekend.

"Finding Dory" continues to impress, as it brought in $41.9 million over the weekend and will undoubtedly have a healthy Monday and finish the four-day weekend over $50 million. "Dory" has already surpassed "Zootopia's" domestic totals, but the international numbers at this point are nearly as impressive. Still, a $1 billion finish is a healthy possibility.

In second place is "The Legend of Tarzan" with $38.1 million. That's nearly double of what most were expecting from the film. Expect the movie to add an additional $5 million Monday. The film will still need to have a strong international presence to turn a profit, but Warner Bros. has to feel optimistic and a bit relieved.

In third place is "The Purge: Election Year" with $30.8 million. That's an unequivocal victory for a film that cost only $10 million to produce.

The big disappointment of the weekend is Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel "The BFG." The film managed only $19.5 million and will finish with less than $25 million for the holiday weekend. It's a sad day when a malicious and ill-conceived horror film beats out a family-friendly film from Spielberg.

In fifth place is "Independence Day: Resurgence" with $16.5 million. That's slightly less than most were expecting, but we already knew that the probability of the film rests in its ability to draw an international audience as domestic totals will top out around $100 million.