When Pixar made a sequel to one of its most popular films, we expected it would do well at the box office. We're not sure anybody expected this. Finding Dory is more than just successful. It's a phenomenon. The film got off to a great start when it set the record for highest grossing opening for an animated movie. However, that pace has barely slowed. Finding Dory just broke the $300 million mark domestically, and it did it faster than any animated film ever.
Previously, the record for hitting the $300 million mark was 18 days. The record was shared by both Toy Story 3 and Shrek 2. According to The Wrap, Finding Dory has done it in 12. This means that for the next six days, Dory will just be piling on to its total before it even gets to the point at which other films were able to do what it has already done. It's also a great sign for where Finding Dory may eventually end up. Shrek 2 and Toy Story 3 are the first and third highest grossing animated films respectively, according to the domestic box office chart, which means Dory has her eye on the very top.
And all that is just in North America. Globally, Finding Dory has brought in $433 million, and with several territories yet to see the film open, that number will see some significant bumps before it's all said and done. Your average film does about two-thirds of its total business overseas. Dory has done nearly three-quarters of its business domestically, but only because the film hasn't been released everywhere yet.
At this point, it doesn't appear that anything can stop Disney. Even with the lackluster Alice Through the Looking Glass, and the DOA The Finest Hours, the studio has four movies in the top ten for the year, including another animated feature, Zootopia. That film also broke the $300 million mark. It took over a month to do so, but still went on to be the second highest-grossing film in the world this year.
The other thing that Finding Dory's success does is put a shot in the arm of what has been, for the most part, a fairly uneventful summer. While a handful of films -- again, mostly with Disney's name attached -- have done well, a number of high-profile busts, like Warcraft and Independence Day: Resurgence have left the usually hot season feeling a little cool at the box office.
Have you seen Finding Dory yet? How about more than once?
