Universal and DreamWorks Animation’s canine crime adventure “Dog Man” dominated the box office for the second consecutive weekend, holding the No. 1 position over Super Bowl weekend. On the other hand, Universal’s action comedy “Love Hurts” and Sony’s slasher film “Heart Eyes” struggled with slow openings, failing to hold audiences’ attention.
“Dog Man” Continues Big Box Office Run, But Downward Decline Remains
The family-friendly “Dog Man,” a tale of a police officer who is surgically reunited with his loyal pup after being injured, grossed $13.7 million from 3,887 North American theaters over Super Bowl weekend. However, this represents a 62% drop from its opening weekend gross of $36 million and also fell short of its estimated $19-22 million second weekend. To date, “Dog Man” has grossed $54.1 million domestically and $66 million globally, far surpassing its $40 million budget.
Universal’s hopes remain intact; it expects “Dog Man” to have success like big films
Universal’s domestic distribution president Jim Orr believes “Dog Man” has a strong hold on the box office. “The audience response has been tremendous. We expect it to perform as well as DreamWorks’ hits.” Orr referred to the successful trend of blockbuster animated films such as “The Wild Robot” (2024), “Kung Fu Panda 4” (2024), and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (2022). Next, Universal and DreamWorks are bringing the highly anticipated live-action “How to Train Your Dragon” on June 13, which is expected to stir up the box office further.
“Heart Eyes” creates sensation at the box office, bloody terror on Valentine’s Day!
“Heart Eyes” leads the new releases with a spectacular entry, earning $8.5 million from 3,102 theaters. Produced by Spyglass Media Group, this R-rated slasher film was made at a cost of just $18 million, but the reviews were killer!
It has an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” rating from audiences on CinemaScore, which is typical of the genre. Directed by Josh Ruben, the film stars Olivia Holt (Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger) and Mason Gooding (Scream). The story revolves around a notorious “Heart Eyes Killer” who brutally murders couples on Valentine’s Day, spreading terror in this season of romance!
“Love Hurts” off to a sluggish start, Oscar winners’ magic failed!
Oscar winner Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose‘s Love Hurts had a slow start at the box office, finishing third with just $5.8 million from 3,055 theaters. The film was loved by neither critics nor audiences—it got a disappointing 19% rating on Rotten Tomatoes while it got just a “C+” grade on CinemaScore.
While such a poor response for a film that cost $18 million to make may be a cause of concern, the financial damage won’t be as bad as the pain of reviews! One critic even said:
“‘Love Hurts’ literally hurts. Watching it feels like punishment!”
Director Jonathan Eusebio, who has been a stunt coordinator for blockbusters like “Black Panther,” “The Avengers,” and “John Wick,” marks his first time directing an R-rated action film.
In the story, Kwan plays a simple-minded real estate agent whose life is turned upside-down when he learns that his presumed dead former partner in crime is alive. Now, his murderous past has come back to haunt him!
Orr’s faith in “Love Hurts” and “Becoming Led Zeppelin” also rocked!
Universal’s domestic distribution head Jim Orr still has high hopes from “Love Hurts.”. He says, “‘Love Hurts’ is a very engaging film. We are confident that its strong action will draw audiences to the theaters!”
Meanwhile, another interesting release caught everyone’s attention—”Becoming Led Zeppelin,” a documentary from Sony Pictures Classics. This film tells the story of the early journey and rapid, immense success of the famous English rock band Led Zeppelin.
Despite being released on just 369 IMAX screens, this documentary earned a brilliant $2.6 million and reached the number 7 position. According to IMAX reports, it received a tremendous response in cities like Toronto, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Dallas.
Super Bowl weekend box office dull, but “Mufasa” and “Companion” made it big!
The Super Bowl always rocks the TV ratings, but its shine at the box office is always dim. This time around, too, it wasn’t the slowest Super Bowl weekend ever—that record belongs to 2024, when “Argyle” and “Lisa Frankenstein” only grossed $38.9 million. This year, the numbers improved slightly to $59 million, but that’s not a milestone to celebrate.
Box office and Super Bowl impact
Pre-pandemic, Super Bowl weekends were typically stronger. $84 million was earned in 2020, compared to $75 million in 2019. Compared to this year, this clearly shows that the big game’s impact is now having a deeper impact on the box office.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” dominates
Elsewhere in the box office, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” continues to hold its own. It also added $3.9 million in its eighth weekend of release.
- Domestic gross: $235.2 million
- Global gross: $671 million
“Companion” drops, still in top 5
Warner Bros. and New Line’s sci-fi thriller “Companion” made it to the top 5 with $3 million.
However, despite great reviews and audience scores, ticket sales fell by 68%.
- Domestic Box Office: $15.4 million
- Global: $26.7 million
Conclusion
The Super Bowl effect was clearly visible at the box office, but films like Mufasa and “Companion” took over a bit. Now it remains to be seen how fast the box office will grow in the coming weeks!