NEW YORK — DreamWorks Animation’s latest release, “Dog Man,” made a significant splash at the box office, garnering $36 million during its opening weekend. This figure marks it as the highest debut of the year so far, according to projections reported on Sunday.
“Dog Man,” adapted from the beloved graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey, was produced by Universal Pictures for a relatively modest budget of $40 million, ensuring its potential for a profitable run. Audience response has been overwhelmingly positive, with the film receiving an “A” CinemaScore.
Historically, only one animated film has surpassed this January’s performance: “Kung Fu Panda 3,” released in 2016. However, “Dog Man” did not perform as strongly on the international stage, earning $4.2 million across 29 global markets. The film is helmed by Peter Hastings and features a voice cast that includes Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, and Isla Fisher.
Family-oriented films proved to be a significant driver for the box office in the previous year, contributing $2.9 billion, or 33% of all ticket sales, as per data compiled by Comscore. The trend has continued into the current year, with Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” performing well; it dominated the weekend box office for three consecutive weeks in January. Now, in its seventh week, “Mufasa” secured third place with an additional $6.1 million, pushing its total earnings to $653 million globally.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, remarked on the ongoing trend of successful PG-rated animated family films both in 2024 and into 2025.
Another new entry, the horror-comedy “Companion” from Warner Bros. and New Line, also had a promising opening, pulling in $9.5 million across 3,285 theaters. Directed by Drew Hancock, the film is set in a near-future world and tells the story of friends on a lakeside getaway.
“Companion,” featuring Sophie Thatcher, had a limited marketing budget and was produced for only $10 million. It now relies on strong critical acclaim—currently holding a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes—and favorable audience feedback, with a “B+” CinemaScore, to maintain its momentum in the coming weeks.
The previous week’s box office leader, “Flight Risk,” directed by Mel Gibson and starring Mark Wahlberg, experienced a significant drop in its second weekend, falling to fifth place with $5.6 million. To date, it has amassed $20.9 million domestically for Lionsgate.
Additionally, the R-rated comedy “One of Them Days,” featuring Keke Palmer and SZA, has emerged as one of the year’s early successes for Sony Pictures. Despite the struggles that comedies have faced in theaters recently, this film has performed remarkably well, earning $5.6 million over the weekend. This brings its total earnings after three weeks to $34.5 million, an impressive feat considering its production cost of only $14 million.
Final figures for the domestic box office will be released on Monday. The estimated ticket sales for the weekend, from Friday to Sunday, in theaters across the U.S. and Canada, according to Comscore, are as follows:
1. “Dog Man,” $36 million.
2. “Companion,” $9.5 million.
3. “Mufasa,” $6.1 million.
4. “One of Them Days,” $6 million.
5. “Flight Risk,” $5.6 million.
6. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” $3.2 million.
7. “Moana 2,” $2.8 million.
8. “A Complete Unknown,” $2.2 million.
9. “The Brutalist,” $1.9 million.
10. “Den of Thieves: Pantera,” $1.6 million.
