411 Box Office Report: PAW Patrol Beats Saw X, The Creator For #1

It was a crowded field at the box office this weekend with PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie topping Saw X and The Creator for the win. The animated film took in $23 million to claim the #1 position, slightly overperforming the $20 million start that was expected. The number is a significant improvement on the August 2021 release of PAW Patrol: The Movie which took in $13.1 million as part of a day-and-date release with Paramount+.

PAW Patrol was able to take advantage of the fact that it is the only viable family film at the box office right now other than Barbie, which is at the end of its run and is also available digitally at this point. That led the film to become the de facto choice family choice, unless you’ve got the freaky family who goes to see Saw films as a unit.

Of course, being the only choice doesn’t mean families weren’t excited about it. The critical buzz on the film was high with an 83% aggregated score on Rotten Tomatoes, and word of mouth is stellar with a 93% RT audience score and an A CinemaScore (slightly higher than the first film’s A-). That made this a no-brainer for many parents, and Paramount is reaping the benefits. The film is also doing fine overseas where it’s at $23.1 million for a $46.1 million worldwide start.

The question now is, how far does it go? Taylor Swift: The ERAS Tour will dig into that in two weeks, but otherwise the film has free reign in terms of its audience. Domestically, it should be able to top $70 million and is going to be a hit against a budget of just $30 million.

Saw X may have ended up at #2, but it’s still sitting in fine shape at $18 million. That is more or less in line with where Lionsgate was expecting it to be. The latest film in the venerable horror franchise vastly outperformed Spiral: From the Book of Saw, which opened during the start of the post-lockdown era in May 2001 with $8.8 million. It was also higher than 2017’s Jigsaw ($16.6 million start) and Saw VI in 2009 ($14.1 million opening).

Saw X bears the distinction of being the sole film in the franchise that mainstream critics actually like, something that was a bit unexpected to be frank. The film has an 85% RT aggregated score, something that it doesn’t seem like even Lionsgate expected as the reviews didn’t start coming in until the day before the release. Earlier screenings could have boosted the buzz – not that Saw fans generally worry about the critics, but it could have brought in some non-fans.

On the positive side, it may be able to capitalize on that buzz since it’s being paired with good word of mouth. The CinemaScore was a very good (for the genre) B and the RT audience score is a franchise-best 91% so far, which should translate into better holds than your typical Saw film even with heavy competition on the way. Saw X added $11.3 million overseas for a $29.3 million worldwide start against a budget of $13 million. It will be a success for the studio, with a likely final domestic gross around $50 million to $60 million.

The Creator, on the other hand, was a disappointment. The Gareth Edwards-directed sci-fi film took in $14 million, well below the low to mid $20 million range that was expected. That puts it in the lower tier of big budget original sci-fi films over the last decade or so, below films like Elysium ($29.8 million in 2013), Edge of Tomorrow ($28.7 million in 2014), Alita: Battle Angel ($28.5 million in 2019), and even Ad Astra ($19 million in 2019).

The Creator was being marketed as a heady sci-fi actioner, but it had some big factors working against it. Edwards is a known quantity but he’s no Spielberg, Robert Rodriguez the like so his name being attached doesn’t make your average movie goer check it out just because of him. And the cast doesn’t have the A-list shine of some of the above comparison films.

To make matters worse for 20th Century Studios, promoting this was a pain because of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Normally John David Washington, Gemma Chan and the like would have been doing the talk circuit and posting on social media to get the word out. That didn’t happen here. It doesn’t help that while the film is generally liked by critics, the 68% RT average doesn’t put it in “must-see” territory for most. The B+ CinemaScore is solid, but the 77% RT audience score is lackluster.

All this adds up to something that a film with an $80 million production cost can’t abide. And the $18.3 million overseas start isn’t incredibly inspiring either. As it stands, The Creator might be able to make it to around $45 million to $50 million domestically, but that’s not going to be enough to make it profitable.

The Nun II was down three spots to #4 in its third week, though it held on well considering the Saw competition and the number of new wide releases. The sequel dropped 45% to $4.7 million, bringing its totals to $76.8 million domestically and $231.2 million worldwide against a $38.5 million budget. The movie is obviously quite the hit and still looks likely to close in the $85 million to $90 million range.

Fathom Events scored the #5 spot for the weekend with their release The Blind. The drama, which is based on the life of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, grossed $4.1 million. That’s pretty solid for a lower-profile faith-based film, and brings the film to $5 million since opening on Thursday. There’s no word on the budget and the film will likely drop off soon as is typical for Fathan releases, but it’s likely in pretty good shape.

A Haunting In Venice was down a solid 40% in its third weekend to bring in $6.3 million. The mystery drama is now up to $31.6 million domestically and $89.8 million worldwide and is going to struggle to hit a profit margin against its $60 million budget plus marketing. It can still get there but will need those overseas grosses to stay strong. Domestically, it is looking likely to close out in the $40 million to $45 million range.

Sony’s Dumb Money expanded wide but didn’t sparkle, taking in $3.5 million. That’s up only 44% from last weekend’s limited release of $2.5 million despite an addition of 2,200 theaters. This is another one that found itself passed over due to an inability to promote the film properly. The GameStop stock dramedy is now at $7.3 million domestically with less than $15,000 overseas thus far. With a $30 million budget, this one will have trouble making a profit unless things pick up significantly. It should finish out in the US with around $15 million.

The Equalizer 3 was off 43% in its fifth weekend to $2.5 million. The action thriller is now at $85.9 million domestically and $58.3 million worldwide and will be minorly profitable against its $70 million production budget. The film’s stateside final gross will be just $90 million to $95 million.

The Expend4bles got off to an awful start last weekend, and this weekend it cratered. The action sequel took in $2.5 million, down a horrid 69% from its start. If bomb status wasn’t established last weekend, it’s guaranteed now. The film has just $13.3 million domestically and $36.4 million worldwide against a $100 million budget plus marketing. At this point it should finish off at perhaps $20 million and is hopefully the end of the series.

Barbie spent its eleventh weekend in the top 10, down 55% to $1.4 million. The comedy is now at $633.1 million domestically and $1.423 billion worldwide. It’s at the end of its run and should close out around $638 million domestically, a huge hit against its $128 million budget.

Next weekend will see horror almost certainly rise to the top as The Exorcist: Believer is targeting a $25 million-plus opening weekend. It is the sole new wide release for the weekend.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie – $23 million ($23 million total, $46.1 million WW)
2. Saw X – $18 million ($18 million total, $29.3 million WW)
3. The Creator – $14 million ($14 million total, $32.3 million WW)
4. The Nun II – $4.7 million ($73.8 million total, $231.2 million WW)
5. The Blind – $4.1 million ($5 million total, $5 million WW)
6. A Haunting In Venice – $3.8 million ($31.6 million total, $89.8 million WW)
7. Dumb Money – $3.5 million ($7.3 million total, $7.3 million WW)
8. The Equalizer 3 – $2.7 million ($85.9 million total, $158.3 million WW)
9. The Expend4bles – $2.5 million ($13.3 million total, $36.4 million WW)
10. Barbie – $1.4 million ($633.1 million total, $1.433 billion WW)