After several quiet weeks in movie theaters, four films entered wide release over the weekend. āPAW Patrol: The Mighty Movieā came out the top dog, with $23 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The performances of all four films ā āPAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie,ā āSaw X,ā āThe Creatorā and āDumb Moneyā ā told a familiar story at the box office. What worked? Horror and animated franchises. What didnāt? Originality and comedy.
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āPAW Patrol,ā from Paramount Pictures and Spin Master, had timing on its side. The film, a sequel to the 2021 āPAW Patrolā movie adapted from the Nickelodeon TV series, was the first family animated movie in theaters since āTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhemā was released in early August.
The first āPAW Patrol,ā released during the pandemic, debuted with $13 million while simultaneously releasing on Paramount+, and its success in both arenas was a contributing factor in leading Nickelodeon chief Brian Robbins to be named head of Paramount. A third āPAW Patrolā movie has already been green-lit.
āPaw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,ā which cost $30 million to make, added $23.1 million in overseas sales.
āSaw X,ā the tenth release in the long-running horror series, managed to bounce back from a franchise low with an opening weekend of $18 million for Lionsgate. The previous āSawā movie, 2021's āSpiral,ā starring Chris Rock, debuted with $8.8 million and totaled $23.3 million domestically.
But the 10th āSawā doubled back on gore and brought back Tobin Bell as the serial killer Jigsaw. It came away with the franchiseās best opening weekend in more than a decade and strong audience scores.
The $13-million production was also the widest āSawā release yet, playing in 3,262 theaters. Since James Wanās 2004 original, the āSawā franchise ā the flagship series of so-called torture porn -- has made more than $1 billion worldwide.
āThe Creator,ā an $80 million movie financed by New Regency and distributed by Disneyās 20th Century Studios, was easily the biggest film to launch in theaters over the weekend but struggled to catch on. It grossed a modest $14 million at 3,680 theaters while adding $18.3 million internationally.
The film, directed by Gareth Edwards, stars John David Washington as an undercover operative in an AI-dominated future. āThe Creatorā drew mostly positive reviews and a B+ CinemaScore from audiences.
Sony Picturesā āDumb Money,ā expanded nationwide after two weeks of limited release but failed to ignite the kind of populist movement it irreverently dramatizes. The film, directed by Craig Gillespie, came away with a disappointing $3.5 million in 2,837 locations.
āDumb Money,ā starring an ensemble of Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, American Ferrera and Anthony Ramos, turns the GameStop stock frenzy into a ripped-from-the-headlines underdog tale of amateur traders rattling Wall Street. While all of the weekendās new releases were hampered by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, āDumb Moneyā would have especially benefitted from its cast hitting late-night shows and other promotions.
Made for $30 million, āDumb Moneyā wasnāt a massive bet. But it represented the kind of movie ā a mid-budget, acclaimed original mostly targeted at adults ā that Hollywood seldom makes anymore. As the industry enters an awards season a year after many high-profile contenders (among them āTĆ”rā and āThe Fabelmansā) failed to catch on in theaters, the results for āDumb Moneyā may be cautionary for films queuing up.
The weekendās other notable success came from a four-decade-old concert film. The 4K restoration of the Talking Heads concert film āStop Making Senseā made $1 million on 786 screens, and surely led all movies in the number of dancing moviegoers. The Jonathan Demme film has surpassed $3 million thus far. Indie distributor A24 promised it will āhave audiences dancing in the aisles around the world for a very long time to come.ā
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. āPAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie,ā $23 million.
2. āSaw X,ā $18 million.
3. āThe Creator,ā $14 million.
4. āThe Nun II,ā $4.7 million.
5. āThe Blind,ā $4.1 million.
6. āA Haunting in Venice,ā $3.8 million.
7. āDumb Money,ā $3.5 million.
8. āThe Equalizer,ā $2.7 million.
9. āExpend4bles,ā $2.5 million.
10. āBarbie,ā $1.4 million.