NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� After several quiet weeks in movie theaters, four films entered wide release over the weekend. came out the top dog, with $23 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The performances of all four films 鈥� 鈥淧AW Patrol: The Mighty Movie,鈥� 鈥淪aw X,鈥� 鈥淭he Creator鈥� and 鈥淒umb Money鈥� 鈥� told a familiar story at the box office. What worked? Horror and animated franchises. What didn鈥檛? Originality and comedy.
鈥淧AW Patrol,鈥� from Paramount Pictures and Spin Master, had timing on its side. The film, a sequel to the 2021 鈥淧AW Patrol鈥� movie adapted from the Nickelodeon TV series, was the first family animated movie in theaters since was released in early August.
The first 鈥淧AW Patrol,鈥� released during the pandemic, debuted with $13 million while simultaneously releasing on Paramount+, and its success in both arenas in leading Nickelodeon chief Brian Robbins to be named head of Paramount. A third 鈥淧AW Patrol鈥� movie has already been green-lit.
鈥淧aw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,鈥� which cost $30 million to make, added $23.1 million in overseas sales.
鈥淪aw X,鈥� the tenth release in the long-running horror series, managed to bounce back from a franchise low with an opening weekend of $18 million for Lionsgate. The previous 鈥淪aw鈥� movie, 2021's 鈥淪piral,鈥� starring Chris Rock, debuted with $8.8 million and totaled $23.3 million domestically.
But the 10th 鈥淪aw鈥� doubled back on gore and brought back Tobin Bell as the serial killer Jigsaw. It came away with the franchise鈥檚 best opening weekend in more than a decade and strong audience scores.
The $13-million production was also the widest 鈥淪aw鈥� release yet, playing in 3,262 theaters. Since James Wan鈥檚 2004 original, the 鈥淪aw鈥� franchise 鈥� the flagship series of so-called torture porn -- has made more than $1 billion worldwide.
an $80 million movie financed by New Regency and distributed by Disney鈥檚 20th Century Studios, was easily the biggest film to launch in theaters over the weekend but struggled to catch on. It grossed a modest $14 million at 3,680 theaters while adding $18.3 million internationally.
The film, directed by Gareth Edwards, stars John David Washington as an undercover operative in an AI-dominated future. 鈥淭he Creator鈥� drew mostly positive reviews and a B+ CinemaScore from audiences.
expanded nationwide after two weeks of limited release but failed to ignite the kind of populist movement it irreverently dramatizes. The film, directed by Craig Gillespie, came away with a disappointing $3.5 million in 2,837 locations.
鈥淒umb Money,鈥� starring an ensemble of Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen, American Ferrera and Anthony Ramos, turns the GameStop stock frenzy into a ripped-from-the-headlines underdog tale of amateur traders rattling Wall Street. While all of the weekend鈥檚 new releases were hampered by , 鈥淒umb Money鈥� would have especially benefitted from its cast hitting late-night shows and other promotions.
Made for $30 million, 鈥淒umb Money鈥� wasn鈥檛 a massive bet. But it represented the kind of movie 鈥� a mid-budget, acclaimed original mostly targeted at adults 鈥� that Hollywood seldom makes anymore. As the industry enters an awards season a year after many high-profile contenders (among them 鈥淭谩r鈥� and 鈥淭he Fabelmans鈥�) failed to catch on in theaters, the results for 鈥淒umb Money鈥� may be cautionary for films queuing up.
The weekend鈥檚 other notable success came from a four-decade-old concert film. The 4K restoration of made $1 million on 786 screens, and surely led all movies in the number of . The Jonathan Demme film has surpassed $3 million thus far. Indie distributor A24 promised it will 鈥渉ave audiences dancing in the aisles around the world for a very long time to come.鈥�
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淧AW Patrol: The Mighty Movie,鈥� $23 million.
2. 鈥淪aw X,鈥� $18 million.
3. 鈥淭he Creator,鈥� $14 million.
4. 鈥淭he Nun II,鈥� $4.7 million.
5. 鈥淭he Blind,鈥� $4.1 million.
6. 鈥淎 Haunting in Venice,鈥� $3.8 million.
7. 鈥淒umb Money,鈥� $3.5 million.
8. 鈥淭he Equalizer,鈥� $2.7 million.
9. 鈥淓xpend4bles,鈥� $2.5 million.
10. 鈥淏arbie,鈥� $1.4 million.
The Associated Press
