Dog Man Conquers Box Office Again, But Super Bowl Steals Hollywood’s Thunder

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This past weekend, it was the Super Bowl, not Hollywood, that grabbed everyone’s attention. With football enthusiasts and even those who aren’t into football arranging watch parties, fewer people have been visiting movie theaters. The box office numbers from the last few days reflect this trend, as ticket sales dropped significantly and new films didn’t seem to catch many people’s interest.

Following a significant impact over the weekend, Peter Hastings’ film “Dog Man” has claimed the top spot domestically as number one… however, its figures aren’t extraordinarily high, causing other performances to seem particularly underwhelming. Take a look at the complete Top 10 list below and stick around for further discussion and analysis.

Dog Man Wins The Box Office Again, But Takes A Hard Weekend-To-Weekend Fall

In its initial release week, the film Dog Man garnered a strong response from critics and capitalized on the popularity of family movies, earning an impressive $36 million at the box office. However, its second weekend performance was disappointing, with a 62% decrease in earnings compared to its opening weekend, causing it to maintain its top position on the domestic charts but struggle financially.

As a supporter of the film, I must admit that, based on the latest figures, “Dog Man” hasn’t quite hit the jackpot just yet. In the last three days alone, it managed to rake in $13.7 million within the U.S. and Canada. However, with an initial production cost of around $40 million (including promotions and advertising), as reported by Deadline, it’s safe to say that we’re not talking about a financial windfall just yet.

Globally, the film has made a total of $11.9 million so far, pushing its worldwide box office earnings to approximately $66 million. While these numbers are encouraging, there’s still a way to go before we can confidently say that “Dog Man” is swimming in financial success.

Remarkably, even amidst our quest for positive aspects, it’s worth mentioning that David Soren’s 2017 adaptation of “Captain Underpants,” titled “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,” has outperformed the latest Dav Pilkey adaptation. By the end of its first 10 days in domestic theaters, it had grossed approximately $44.4 million, with a mere 49% decrease in ticket sales during its second weekend.

A more friendly comparison might focus on how the movie’s performance fares alongside Mike Mitchell’s Kung Fu Panda 4 and Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot, two popular DreamWorks Animation films released last year. While it’s true that Kung Fu Panda 4 benefited from being part of a cherished franchise and had already grossed approximately $108 million domestically by the end of its second weekend, The Wild Robot managed to accumulate $64.2 million in ticket sales during its tenth day in cinemas in the fall.

It seems doubtful that things will get better for Dog Man in the remainder of February. This is because, starting next weekend, Captain America: Brave New World by Julius Onah from the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be released, which is likely to draw a wide audience. Additionally, children who are too young for the MCU can opt to watch Dougal Wilson’s Paddington In Peru instead. Consequently, it appears that the best opportunity for the new release at the box office has already passed.

Heart Eyes And Love Hurts Fail To Make An Impression At The Box Office

As a movie enthusiast, let me tell you something: It’s not just disappointing when the top-ranked film struggles at the box office; it’s downright disheartening to see that the other nine movies in the top 10 are earning even less. To add insult to injury, my favorite new release, “Dog Man,” experienced a significant drop in its second weekend and was the only film among all wide releases to make it into the eight-figure club – yes, even with the debuts of “Heart Eyes” by Josh Reuben and “Love Hurts” by Jonathan Eusebio.

Over Valentine’s Day weekend, “Captain America: Brave New World” was the main event, while two romantic genre films attempted to beat it to the punch by releasing a week early. However, this tactic didn’t seem to pan out. Neither the horror film nor the action movie generated enough excitement to make a significant impact on the weekend box office.

Among the two films, “Heart Eyes” earned $8.5 million, placing it ahead, albeit with a more gradual debut compared to Drew Hancock’s horror movie “Companion”, which made $9.3 million in its opening week. Interestingly, both productions were kept within budget, according to Variety, costing approximately $18 million each. While it might not become a blockbuster hit, given the current figures, it seems likely that “Heart Eyes” will still turn a profit by the end of its theatrical run. As for whether it will get a sequel, given the conventions of the slasher subgenre, remains uncertain at this point.

The movie titled “Love Hurts” was produced with the same budget as “Heart Eyes,” but it has only earned $5.8 million so far, indicating a less promising future compared to its competition. Despite boasting two Academy Award winners, Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, in its cast, it hasn’t received favorable reviews. Critics argue that the storyline, where an ordinary man transforms into an elite fighter, seems overly familiar and lacks originality.

Similar to “Dog Man,” neither of these titles seems poised to steal the limelight for the remainder of February, even though “Heart Eyes” received some praise from critics and has a positive buzz. The upcoming Marvel film is likely to overshadow “Love Hurts” in the coming weeks, and audiences can expect another dose of violence on the big screen when Osgood Perkins’ adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Talisman,” titled “The Monkey,” hits theaters on February 21. You can check out my four-star review for an exciting preview!

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2025-02-09 23:10