Coverage: Moviegoers find Dory to the tune of $136.2 million

The new movie “Finding Dory” raked in $136.2 million at the box office this weekend, making it the highest opening weekend for an animated film of all time and providing a boost to the movie industry.

Erich Schwartzel of The Wall Street Journal had the news:

The follow-up to 2003’s “Finding Nemo” puts the sidekick Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) front-and-center as the forgetful fish who sets off to reunite with her parents. Other members of the voice cast include Albert Brooks, Diane Keaton and Idris Elba.

The weekend’s other new release, “Central Intelligence,” collected a solid $34.5 million in second place.

The previous record for an animated opening belonged to “Shrek the Third,” which grossed $121.6 million in 2007. The previous record for the Walt Disney Co.-owned Pixar belongs to “Toy Story 3,” which opened to $110 million and went on to gross $415 million in 2010.

It is also welcome timing for Pixar after a rare disappointment last year. The opening weekend of “Finding Dory” has already exceeded the domestic gross of Pixar’s last movie, “The Good Dinosaur,” which collected $123 million in its total run.

Brent Lang of Variety explored why the movie did so well:

Here are five reasons that Disney and Pixar were able to make a big splash with “Finding Dory.”

1.) Pixar is the Movie Business’ Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval

Over the course of 17 films, Pixar has established a reputation for excellence that is nearly unparalleled. Perhaps only Miramax during its ’90s heyday rivals the Pixar association with quality films, and its run of “Pulp Fiction,” “The English Patient” and “The Crying Game” was pitched to a markedly different demographic.

With the exception of the “Cars” films, critics have embraced the company’s films, treating them as works of art, not craven cash grabs. And audiences have responded in kind, handing every film the studio makes an A CinemaScore rating. Consequently, moviegoers know that when Pixar’s name is attached to a film, attention must be paid.

2.) Girl Power Matters

Dory, the short-term memory addled fish voiced so memorably by Ellen DeGeneres, swims into center stage in the sequel. Disney films have historically catered to young girls. After all, the Magic Kingdom’s riches come from its Disney Princess franchise. But in recent years, the studio has done an admirable job of moving beyond royal wedding wish fulfillment. Characters such as Judy Hopps (“Zootopia”), Riley Andersen (“Inside Out”), Merida (“Brave”) and, yes, Dory represent a wider range of female experiences and boast character traits beyond simply waiting around for their prince. They are archers, cops, teenage girls, even forgetful fish.

Bryan Alexander of USA Today noted that the film was liked by critics and the audience:

“Finding Dory just showed total domination this weekend,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore. “The Finding Nemo brand has been building with audiences for 13 years, first on the big screen and then on the small screen. That set the stage for this spectacular debut, bigger than anyone expected.”

With DeGeneres’ Dory taking the lead in the new chapter, 62% of the audience consisted of women and girls, according to comScore tracking. “It was girl power all the way with this terrific female character. The female audience powered this opening weekend,” says Dergarabedian.

Finding Dory also scored with critics, receiving a 95% positive critical rating on the review aggregation site RottenTomatoes.com, and getting an A from audiences at CinemaScore.