How 'Finding Dory' beat 'BFG' and 'Tarzan' on the Fourth of July weekend

The Pixar sequel 'Dory' came in number one at the box office again, triumphing over competition such as 'Tarzan,' which stars Alexander Skarsgård, and 'The BFG,' an adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel that is directed by Steven Spielberg.

It seems that nothing can keep a small blue fish down.

“Finding Dory,” the Pixar animated sequel that opened in mid-June, experienced another number one weekend over the Fourth of July holiday, grossing more than $41 million over the weekend. That's ahead of such competition as the newest Tarzan film “The Legend of Tarzan” and the Steven Spielberg adaptation of a Roald Dahl novel, “The BFG."

“Tarzan” came in second after “Dory,” grossing more than $38 million this past weekend, while the horror film “The Purge: Election Year,” which was a new release as well, came in third, taking in more than $30 million. 

“BFG” came in fourth place, grossing more than $19 million, while “Independence Day: Resurgence,” which had opened on June 24, came in fifth, taking in more than $16 million for the holiday weekend. 

The box office gross of the movie about a Big Friendly Giant, which stars Ruby Barnhill and Mark Rylance, is largely being viewed as a disappointment. What may have accounted for the lackluster performance of the newest film by Mr. Spielberg, one aimed at the whole family?

Associated Press writer Jake Coyle suggests that the big performance by “Dory” hurt other movies like “BFG” that were aiming for the same viewers. 

“The continued success of ‘Dory,’ however, bit into the similarly family-friendly ‘The BFG,’ which debuted weakly,” Mr. Coyle wrote. 

In addition, Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at comScore, told USA Today that getting the word out about the movie may have been difficult.

“The BFG” is “a very tough film to market,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “The title has its challenges. Roald Dahl is a known brand, although I don’t how how ubiquitous that brand is. Spielberg is the true star of the film.” But he noted that Mr. Spielberg’s output lately has been movies more aimed at adults, titles such as last year’s “Bridge of Spies” and the 2012 movie “Lincoln.”