Yahoo Lifestyle Box Office: ‘Dog Man’ Still Off the Leash at No. 1, ‘Heart Eyes’ and ‘Love Hurts’ Beat Slowly in Quiet Super Bowl Weekend
It seems an old “Dog Man” can outearn new pics, as the DreamWorks Animation caper will lead the domestic box office for a second weekend in a row. Meanwhile, slasher “Heart Eyes” and Ke Huy Quan actioner “Love Hurts” are landing in second and third, respectively, turning in more tepid opening weekends.
Universal’s “Dog Man” is expected to top the competition, despite projecting a sizable drop in its sophomore outing. After coming in above projections with its $36 million debut, the crime caper earned $3.2 million on its second Friday and is now forecasting a 62% fall over the three-day frame. Super Bowl weekend is usually one of the calendar’s least busy times for moviegoing; even a well-liked family-friendly picture like “Dog Man” isn’t impervious to the biggest television event of the year. Total domestic gross should pass $54 million through the first 10 days and the film is still well-positioned considering its modest $40 million production budget.
More from Variety
Sony’s release of Spyglass Media Group’s “Heart Eyes” earned $3.7 million across Friday and previews from 3,102 locations. It’s projecting upwards of $8.5 million over the three-day frame. Produced for $18 million, the horror/rom-com mash-up will hope to draw moviegoers through the seasonally appropriate Valentine’s Day weekend to wind up a theatrical success. Reviews have been positive, but moviegoer survey firm Cinema Score turned in a cooler B- grade, though horror often polls lower than other genres. “Heart Eyes” was fully financed and produced by Spyglass. Directed by Josh Ruben, the R-rated slasher stars Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as two singles that a masked killer mistakes to be a couple.
Meanwhile, Universal gets bronze for “Love Hurts,” which earned $2.6 million across Friday and previews from 3,055 venues. The actioner is forecasting a rather meager $6.0 million opening. Like “Heart Eyes,” “Love Hurts” carries a modest $18 million production budget, but it’s starting slower and will have to overcome some terrible reviews and a chilly C+ grade on Cinema Score to turn a profit theatrically. The R-rated film is the debut directorial efforts of stunt coordinator Jonathan Eusebio and stars recent Oscar winners Quan and Ariana DeBose as hitmen with a romantic past.
Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” is sliding to fourth place after earning $1 million on Friday. Now nearly two months into its theatrical run, the CG-rendered musical prequel is still hanging around the top of domestic charts, which speaks to its strong foothold in the market and how lightweight the competition has been since the New Year. Looking at another slim drop (about 27%), “Mufasa” will hit a $235 million domestic total through the end of the weekend. This weekend, it overtakes its holiday season rival “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” to become the ninth-highest-grossing North American release of 2024.
Rounding out the top five, Warner Bros. and New Line’s “Companion” is taking a hefty fall, despite strong reviews and its positive Cinema Score grade of B+. The horror satire earned an estimated $1 million on Friday, with some rivals expecting $3.6 million for its second weekend for a 10-day domestic total of $16 million.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
