‘Legend of Tarzan’ and ‘BFG’ no match for ‘Dory’ at the box office

Two big-budget movies – Warner Bros.’ “The Legend of Tarzan” and Disney-Amblin’s “The BFG”– were surely hoping for box-office fireworks over the July 4th weekend.

But neither are expected to light up the night sky during the holiday period, leaving “Finding Dory” in the top spot for the third straight weekend.

Warner Bros.’ $180-million epic about the man raised by apes is expected to collect $30 million in the U.S. and Canada through Monday, according to people who have seen pre-release audience surveys.

That would be a weak result for a pricey film, and would rank it among the biggest flops of this year’s rocky summer movie season so far.

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Watch the trailer for “The Legend of Tarzan.”

Recent domestic bombs include Disney’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” and Universal-Legendary’s “Warcraft.” Last week, 20th Century Fox’s “Independence Day” sequel posted a disappointing $41-million opening. Domestic box office revenue this summer is down 5.5% compared to a year ago, according to ComScore.

A poor showing for “Tarzan” would also represent the latest headache for Warner Bros., the Burbank studio that suffered several expensive misfires last year when results were weighed down by “Pan” and “In the Heart of the Sea.”

But the studio has enjoyed recent success from lower-cost movies such as “The Conjuring 2” and “Central Intelligence,” both from its New Line Cinema unit.

David Yates, known for making multiple “Harry Potter” movies, directed the new “Legend of Tarzan,” which stars Alexander Skarsgård as the title character and Margot Robbie as his love interest Jane.

Warner Bros. is hoping the action adventure will make up ground outside the U.S. market.

“The BFG,” Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the beloved Roald Dahl book, isn’t expected to see much commercial success either. The film about a girl swept into a magical world of giants is on track for a four-day opening of about $30 million. The production budget on the effects-heavy picture is said to be about $140 million.

Of the three new wide releases, Universal Pictures’ horror-action sequel “The Purge: Election Year” appears to be the most profitable entry. It cost $10 million to produce and is expected to gross $25 million through Monday.

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Watch the trailer for “The Purge: Election Year.” 

The third “Purge” movie from Jason Blum’s budget-conscious production shop Blumhouse has waged a topical marketing campaign riffing off the U.S. presidential campaign. If it does better than expected, it has a chance to beat “Tarzan” and “BFG,” analysts said.

“It’s great timing for the thriller sequel in light of real world events,” said Shawn Robbins, an analyst with BoxOffice.com.

The “Purge” franchise -- about a future America that makes all crime legal for a 12-hour period each year -- has been a tidy profit center for Universal. The 2013 original opened with $34 million on its way to a $64-million domestic total, while 2014’s “The Purge: Anarchy” debuted with $30 million and ended up with $72 million.

Then there is “Finding Dory,” from Disney’s Pixar computer animation studio, which is expected to gross more than $40 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend.

The long-awaited sequel to 2003’s “Finding Nemo” has grossed more than $300 million at home as of Tuesday. The global tally for the film, focusing on the forgetful blue fish voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, stands at more than $400 million.

Among specialty releases, A24 is expanding its offbeat and controversial Daniel Radcliffe comedy “Swiss Army Man” after a promising limited release.

ryan.faughdner@latimes.com

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