Finding Dory tops $1 billion at the box office

It’s safe to say that Disney and Pixar have had a successful 2016; with the former releasing smash hit ‘Zootropolis’ at the beginning of the year, and the latter unveiling their ‘Finding Nemo’ sequel over summer.

Even though ‘Finding Dory’ - the long-awaited follow-up to 2003′s ‘Finding Nemo’ - came out in some countries as early as June, it’s only just tipped the billion dollar mark.

‘Dory’s’ financial success is something of a high point for Pixar over the past couple of years because neither ‘Inside Out’ or ‘The Good Dinosaur’ managed to reach the same milestone.

While ‘Dory’ reviews were generally positive, it wasn’t as universally adored as many of their other movies. Notably ‘Inside Out’ received sweeping praise from critics and audiences yet amassed $858 million by the end of its cinema run.

In contrast ‘The Good Dinosaur’ got several lukewarm responses and as a result became the studio’s first flop; only managing to take a lacklustre $322 million.

So ‘Dory’s’ success isn’t simply based on how well the reviewers rate the film but instead by its existing, loyal fan base that saw the new film ride the wave (so to speak) of the first movie’s popularity. It also saw a new generation of cinema goers flock to big screen too.

In total, ‘Finding Dory’ has taken $1,001,480,568, making it the fifth highest grossing animated film of all time. It sits behind ‘Zootropolis’ and 2010′s ‘Toy Story 3′. ’Minions’ is in second, with - yes, you’ve guessed it - ‘Frozen’ at the top of the pile with almost $1.3 billion.

With projects like ‘Cars 3′, ‘Incredibles 2′ and a fourth ‘Toy Story’ on their way, there’s every chance Pixar will have one (or more) future entries that can break into the top five.

Read more:
Jon Voight slams Robert De Niro’s Trump comments
Underworld: Blood Wars trailer and character posters
Justice League behind the scenes footage

Picture credit: Disney Pixar