DC League of Super-Pets could have benefited from a sharper bite.
The animated superhero pic, from Warner Bros. and DC, opened on the lower end of expectations at the North American box office with an estimated $23 million. On the bright side, the pic had no trouble winning the weekend.
League of Super-Pets — which had hoped to clear $25 million or more in its domestic launch — is yet another test for the family theatrical marketplace as the box office emerges from the pandemic. The marketing campaign certainly doesn’t lack for attention, with voice stars Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart embarking on a publicity blitz.
Warners believes the movie, which is playing in 4,315 theaters and cost $90 million to produce, will have strong legs throughout August as the number of new summer movies drops and there is less competition. Audiences bestowed Super-Pets with an A- CinemaScore, which could translate into strong word of mouth.
League of Super-Pets also features the voices of Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski and Keanu Reeves, among others, and marks the theatrical directorial debut of Jared Stern.
Elsewhere on the top 10 chart, Jordan Peele and Universal’s Nope came in No. 2 for the weekend with a strong $18.6 million for a 10-day domestic tally of $80.6 million. The sci-fi/horror adventure fell 58 percent (some had predicted it would fall more than 60 percent).
Marvel and Disney’s Thor: Love and Thunder came in third in its fourth outing with $13 million, pushing its domestic total to past the $300 million milestone for a global total of $662.4 million.
Universal and Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru did enough business in its fifth weekend to come in fourth with an estimated $10.9 million for a domestic cume north of $320.4 million (Gru is the top-grossing animated film of the COVID-19 age). Overseas, it has earned $390 million for a worldwide total of $710.4 million.
Top Gun: Maverick continued to impress all the way in its 10th weekend. The Paramount and Skydance tenpole rounded out the top five with an estimated $8.2 million for a domestic total of $650.1 million through Sunday, one of the best showings of all time, not adjusted for inflation.
Like the Top Gun sequel, Warners and Baz Lurhmann’s Elvis Presley biopic is enjoying a long run. Now in its sixth weekend, Elvis has grossed nearly $130 million domestically and $234.3 million worldwide.
Universal’s Jurassic World Dominion has stomped past $940 million globally thanks to a late release in Japan. Domestically, it has grossed $369.5 million.
Focus Features and Blumhouse’s Vengeance placed 10th domestically with a subdued opening in the $1.8 million range. The specialty pic is playing in fewer than 1,000 theaters.