‘Dog Man’ Shatters January Box Office Records with Epic Opening Weekend

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As a movie enthusiast, let me tell you, it wasn’t “The Wolf Man” or even “A Better Man,” but the extraordinary film “Dog Man” has been ruling the January box office. Based on the children’s graphic novel by Dav Pilkey, this movie is an offshoot of the larger story within “Captain Underpants,” which received a DreamWorks Animation treatment in 2017. In a plot that could be described as kids’ first foray into body horror, “Dog Man” follows the bizarre transformation of a man who has a dog’s face grafted onto his body to become a supercop, battling a variety of villains along the way.

As reported by Deadline, the animated film Dog Man had a highly successful debut weekend, earning an estimated $35.3 million. This figure currently places it as the highest-grossing opening weekend of 2025 thus far, surpassing Mufasa: The Lion King’s third weekend gross of $23 million in January 2025. In terms of animated movie openings, Dog Man trails only Kung Fu Panda 3’s record-breaking $41.8 million from 2016. Furthermore, this marks the third consecutive box office number one spot for DreamWorks Animation, following the releases of Kung Fu Panda 4 and The Wild Robot in 2024.

Compared to Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie’s opening weekend earnings of $23 million in 2017, Dog Man surpassed this figure during its debut weekend. It’s important to note that Captain Underpants had a tougher time due to the simultaneous release of Wonder Woman and the summer movie season featuring films like Cars 3 and Despicable Me 3. On the other hand, Dog Man has an advantage as it is the first new family film after a string of popular movies such as Moana 2, The Lion King remake, and Sonic the Hedgehog dominated the family market for much of the holiday season.

‘Dog Man’ Takes a Bite Out of the Box Office

Dog Man, which debuted in 2016, has already seen the release of 13 graphic novels, with another one set to hit shelves in the autumn of 2025. Given its relatively recent introduction, its initial readers are still within an age range that would be excited to see the movie adaptation. Additionally, it’s drawing in younger fans who may have discovered the series through school book fairs. It’s been a profitable venture as Dog Man has significantly outperformed new releases like Den of Thieves: Pantera ($15 million), while nearly tripling the opening weekends of titles such as One of Them Days ($11.8 million), Flight Risk ($11.5 million), and Wolf Man ($10 million).

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled to note that “Dog Man” currently enjoys a lengthy tenure at the box office, standing alone as the only animated family film until “The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie,” slated for February 28, 2025. This lesser-known production, distributed by Ketchup Entertainment, will likely face tough competition. The release of “Captain America: Brave New World” on Valentine’s Day will undeniably dominate the box office. However, when it comes to kid-friendly titles, the next big contender won’t emerge until “Snow White,” set for March 21, 2025, over eight weeks after “Dog Man.” Family films, especially when there’s minimal competition, tend to thrive at the box office as parents are always on the lookout for family-friendly outings. Given its modest budget of $40 million and its current box office performance, it seems inevitable that news about a “Dog Man” sequel will be announced soon.

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2025-02-02 20:05