SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 17, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — There are two new films in wide release this weekend.
The first is Disney/Pixar’s “Finding Dory,” the sequel to the beloved 2003 animated film, “Finding Nemo.” Disney is getting ready to drown some box office records with its new release starring the vocal talents of Ellen Degeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill and Idris Elba.
The experts at Box Office Mojo are predicting an opening weekend of $124 million. If “Finding Dory” hits that number, it will make the sequel the largest grossing animated film opening of all time, overtaking “Shrek the Third,” which currently holds the record with $121.6 million.
Predicted to debut in second place, “Central Intelligence” stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. The film is expected to bring home $35.4 million its first weekend in release.
Box Office Mojo’s weekend estimates for the top 10 films are:
“Finding Dory” – $124.85 million
“Central Intelligence” – $35.43 million
“The Conjuring 2” – $21.82 million
“Now You See Me 2” – $13.66 million
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” – $8.56 million
“Warcraft” – $8.22 million
“X-Men: Apocalypse” – $6.15 million
“Me Before You” – $5.06 million
“The Angry Birds Movie” – $3.6 million
“Alice Through the Looking Glass” – $2.88 million
The Reviews:
Finding Dory
Starring: Ellen Degeneres, Ed O’Neill and Albert Brooks
Rated PG
Dory, the wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or so, begins to remember her parents and how she was separated from them.
Dory, along with Marlin and Nemo, embark on a journey to find them. The clues lead her to the Marine Life Institute, a conservatory that houses diverse ocean species. Can she save her mom and dad from captivity?
Although “Finding Dory” is a good family film, it is not a great one. When they announced Pixar was making the sequel to “Finding Nemo,” hopes were high that special care would be taken to give us a story worthy of the original.
“Finding Nemo” is a beloved animated feature. The journey to find Marlin’s lost son begins with a terrible tragedy which immediately gets the audience involved heart and soul. And taking Dory on the trip added the comedy relief to the story, but was a way for Marlin to overcome his fears.
In “Finding Dory,” there is no journey really. The trip to California is done within the first 20 minutes of the film. From then on the movie settles into one vignette after another with Marlin and Nemo constantly bickering about safety and Dory forgetting and remembering to the point of audience frustration.
In the end the film is worth taking the kids to, but it doesn’t have the wallop or the heart of a classically great Pixar film.
It gets a very average C and is rated PG.
Central Intelligence
Starring: Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart
Rated PG-13
After he reunites with an old school pal through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage.
“Central Intelligence” is a reluctant buddy comedy with Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson as a seasoned CIA agent and Kevin Hart is the milquetoast accountant, who is persuaded to drop everything and pursue the bad guys as his partner.
Both Johnson and Hart work well together and make full advantage of their physical differences as Hart is a full foot shorter than Johnson. The film also allows Johnson to flex his comedy muscles, as he has some of the best and funniest moments in the film.
All in all, “Central Intelligence” is a ridiculous and broad comedy that manages to offer a little sweetness in the mix.
It deserves a B and is rated PG-13.
