Box Office: ‘Dog Man' Chases $30 Million Opening Weekend, Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Companion' Targets $10 Million
'Dog Man,' an animated adventure set in the 'Captain Underpants' universe, will sniff and scratch its way to the top of box office charts over the weekend.
Universal and DreamWorks Animation's canine-crime-fighting film is expected to collect $25 million to $30 million from 3,800 North American theaters in its opening weekend. Some box office prognosticators believe that with great buzz and pent-up demand for family offerings, initial ticket sales could reach as high as $40 million. For reference, 20th Century Fox's 'Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie' opened to $23.8 million in 2017 and eventually powered to $73 million domestically and $125 million globally.
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'Dog Man,' not to be confused with 'Wolf Man,' Universal's horror film that released in theaters earlier this month, should indeed benefit from the lack of new kid-friendly films in the marketplace. After all, it's been weeks and weeks since 'Mufasa: The Lion King,' 'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' and 'Moana 2' hit the big screen. And while those movies were able to stick around at the top of domestic charts for a while, theater exhibitors often lament there aren't enough fresh options for parents with youngsters. Based on 'Captain Underpants' author Dav Pilkey's children's graphic novel series, the $40 million-budgeted film follows a human police officer and his faithful dog, who are fused together in a life-saving surgery after they're injured on the job. Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery and Isla Fisher lead the voice cast.
Also this weekend, Warner Bros. and New Line's R-rated satirical sci-fi thriller 'Companion' is targeting $8 million to $10 million from 2,750 cinemas in its domestic debut. It's expected to bring in another $5 million at the international box office. With solid reviews ('Companion' holds an impressive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes), the film could generate the kind of word-of-mouth that propels a late-January sleeper hit. 'Companion' carries a $10 million production budget, not including its marketing spend, so those box office forecasts indicate a profitable theatrical run. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid star in the movie, a pseudo-love story that follows a group of friends who travel to the remote woods. Their weekend getaway descends into chaos after a revelations that one of the guests is a companion robot.
'Dog Man' and 'Companion' should help to thaw the icy winter box office. However, attendance isn't expected to heat up until Disney and Marvel's 'Captain America: Brave New World' touches down in theaters on Feb. 14. Sam Wilson to the rescue!
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