First Look: ‘Dolphin Tale 2’

Cast: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff and Morgan Freeman

Writer-director: Charles Martin Smith

The story: The staff at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium tries to help the rescued dolphin Winter adapt to a new companion, otherwise she’ll be taken away forever, in this sequel.

The buzz: The original opened to $19 million in September 2011, and that was against the second weekend of the 3-D rerelease of “The Lion King.” The sequel will have pretty wide berth given that not much in the way of family films has opened since “Planes: Fire and Rescue” on July 18.

— CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE