New Movies July 1: Purge, Tarzan and a Big Giant
by EG
Pixar's Finding Dory has been the top movie in America for two weeks in a row, but this week it gets competition from another family-focused movie for the first time since its release. Two other new wide releases will also hit theaters this holiday weekend, making it yet another crowded couple of days for the movies vying for the number one spot.
Steven Spielberg's The BFG, an adaptation of a Roald Dahl story about a friendly giant and the young girl who befriends him, has all the makings of a big hit. Besides Spielberg's and Dahl's names, it has good critics' reviews going for it. Discussion of the film on social media has been weak, however, and there's speculation that the film's performance will disappoint. Predictions have it earning about $30 million for the weekend, which is not a great number considering the film's big budget.
Likewise, The Legend of Tarzan is not likely to find blockbuster success. This latest adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs ape-man story starring Alexander Skarsgard and Margot Robbie is also not generating much excitement in the social media world ahead of its release, leading observers to predict that will bring in somewhere around $30 million, too.
That leaves room for the week's third new release, The Purge: Election Year, to sneak up from behind. The latest installment in the low-budget horror franchise is expected to pull in about $25 million.
However, if Finding Dory has another good weekend, the animated fish might be able to pull ahead of all the new competition yet again this week.