'Finding Dory' rides wave of success to second number one at the box office

'Finding Dory' topped the box office again in its second weekend, outgrossing such competition as the action sequel 'Independence Day: Resurgence' and the thriller 'The Shallows.'

The Pixar animated sequel "Finding Dory" was the box office champion again this past weekend, coming in at No. 1 ahead of such new films as "Independence Day: Resurgence" and "The Shallows."

"Finding Dory," which was released on June 17, grossed more than $72 million at the North American box office during its second weekend, coming in ahead of the action sequel "Independence Day," which placed second. That film grossed more than $41 million in its opening weekend. 

The comedy "Central Intelligence," which opened earlier this month, placed third, taking in more than $18 million, while the new Blake Lively thriller "The Shallows" came in fourth, grossing more than $16 million. The horror film "The Conjuring 2," which also opened earlier this month, was in fifth place, taking in more than $7 million. 

The box office performance of "Finding Dory" in some ways echoes that of the 2015 summer Pixar film "Inside Out," which also came out in June of that year and also did incredibly well financially despite "Inside Out" having to go up against ever-popular dinosaurs with the movie "Jurassic World" dominating around that time. 

What has kept "Finding Dory" doing so well? Pixar has established itself as a mostly reliable purveyor of movies for all ages, comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian noted in an interview with USA Today. 

"It's been a go-to movie for everyone, and that's the magic of the Pixar brand," Mr. Dergarabedian said of "Dory." "Having a Pixar movie in the summer mix is always good for business."

As for "Dory" outgrossing the aliens of "Independence Day," Indiewire writer Tom Brueggemann posits that "Dory" may have successfully marketed itself to audiences as an interesting continuation of the story of "Finding Nemo," more so than "Independence Day: Resurgence."

"Audiences, particularly domestic, have overloaded on retreads with little original spark, even as they reward those (like 'Dory' and '[Captain America:] Civil War') that come across as fresh and vital," Mr. Brueggemann wrote of the box office performance of "Independence Day."