Dog Man No. 1 as Heart Eyes, Love Hurts Open
DreamWorks Animation and Universal’s family film Dog Man isn’t having any trouble staying atop the box office in its second weekend with an expected $13.7 million from 3,886 theaters as new offerings Heart Eyes and Love Hurts battle for Super Bowl scraps.
That should put Dog Man‘s domestic total at a pleasing $54.1 million through Sunday (the pic cost a modest $40 million or so to produce).
Super Bowl weekend has always been a challenge for Hollywood studios since moviegoing plummets dramatically on the day of the big game (this year’s championship game sees last year’s victor the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles). Movies targeting younger females and genre titles appealing to younger audiences are a favorite go-to in terms of movies daring to open over Super Bowl weekend, and this year is no different, although it’s more weighted on the genre side this time out.
Heart Eyes, a Valentine’s Day-themed rom-com from Sony’s Screen Gems and Spyglass, looks to open in second place behind Dog Man with a projected $8.5 million to $10 million from 3,102 theaters after narrowly topping Friday’s chart with $3.6 million.
The film revolves around a masked killer — yes, the mask is in the shape of a heart — who travels from city to city finding a couple to kill on Feb. 14. Directed by Josh Ruben, the slasher pic stars Mason Gooding, Jordana Brewster and Olivia Holt.
Earning decent reviews, Heart Eyes didn’t fare quite as well with audiences, which gave the pic a B- CinemaScore.
Heart Eyes
Christopher Moss/Sony Pictures
Universal’s Love Hurts is opening in third place with an expected $6 million from 3,200 theaters. The action pic revolves around a seemingly ordinary real estate agent who is trying to outrun his violent past and stars Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once actor Ke Huy Quan opposite Daniel Wu, Ariana DeBose and Marshawn Lynch. The diverse cast also includes former NFL running back and Super Bowl champion Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch.
David Leitch of the John Wick franchise is among the film’s producers.
Critics have bashed the film, while audiences gave it a C+ CinemaScore.
Produced by 87North’s Kelly McCormick and Leitch, Love Hurts is written by Matthew Murray and helmed by JoJo Eusebio in his directorial debut.
Love Hurts.
Allen Fraser/Universal Pictures
Disney’s Thanksgiving Mufasa: The Lion King is holding at No. 8 all the way in its eighth weekend and is expected to gross $4.2 million from 2,945 theaters for a domestic cume north of $235 million.
To say there’s a glut of genre content is an understatement. New Line and Warner Bros.’ sci-fi Companion pic is coming in fifth in its second weekend with an estimated $3.4 million for a 10-day domestic total of $16.2 million.
Numbers will be updated Sunday morning.
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