Box Office: ‘Dog Man’ Stays No. 1 in Quiet Super Bowl Weekend, ‘Love Hurts’ Fumbles

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For the second week in a row, the canine crime adventure “Dog Man,” produced by both Universal and DreamWorks Animation, took the top spot at the domestic box office. On the other hand, new entries such as Universal’s action comedy “Love Hurts” and Sony’s horror flick “Heart Eyes” mainly received minimal success during this slow period before the Super Bowl.

In a North American theater run of 3,887 screens, the family movie titled “Dog Man,” which tells the story of a police officer bonded with his canine partner following an on-duty injury, earned $13.7 million over the weekend. However, this weekend’s earnings, representing a 62% decrease from its opening weekend’s $36 million haul, fell short of the projected second-weekend earnings of $19-$22 million. To date, “Dog Man” has accumulated $54.1 million domestically and $66 million worldwide, surpassing its production budget of $40 million.

In its initial run on the silver screen, ‘Heart Eyes’ generated an impressive $8.5 million from 3,102 movie theaters, making it the frontrunner for new releases. This R-rated film was bankrolled and produced by Spyglass Media Group, who were also behind ‘Scream’. It had a relatively small budget of $18 million to produce.

The reviews for “Heart Eyes” were surprisingly strong for a slasher film, but they were more in line with the genre’s norms; it received an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B-” grade from CinemaScore from viewers. Directed by Josh Ruben and featuring Olivia Holt (Marvel’s “Cloak and Dagger”) and Mason Gooding (“Scream”), “Heart Eyes” tells the story of an infamous masked killer, known as the Heart Eyes Killer, who specializes in murdering couples on Valentine’s Day.

The movie titled “Love Hurts,” starring Oscar-winning actors Ke Huy Quan and Ariana DeBose, opened in third place with a gross of $5.8 million from 3,055 theaters. Unfortunately, both critics and audiences didn’t seem to take a liking to this film as it scored only 19% on Rotten Tomatoes and received a “C+” rating on CinemaScore.

Despite the unfavorable response from critics, “Love Hurts” has a substantial budget of $18 million, which means any losses incurred during its theatrical release won’t be as detrimental as the negative reviews might suggest. For instance, one critic commented, “‘Love Hurts’ is painful to watch. It’s agonizing just to look at it and endure.” This sentiment was not even the harshest of the critiques. Jonathan Eusebio, a stunt coordinator known for films like “Black Panther,” “The Avengers,” and “John Wick,” directed this R-rated movie as his debut feature. In the film, Quan portrays a peaceful realtor whose past life as a violent hitman resurfaces when he learns that his supposedly deceased partner in crime is still alive.

As a passionate moviegoer, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the remarkable success of “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” a documentary from Sony Pictures Classic that delves into the early days and extraordinary rise of the legendary English rock band. This film soared to the No. 7 spot, raking in an impressive $2.6 million on a modest 369 Imax screens. The movie drew the largest crowds in coastal cities, as well as in markets like Toronto, Cleveland, St. Louis, and Dallas, according to Imax’s reports.

“Becoming Led Zeppelin,” coupled with the re-release of the classic Talking Heads film “Stop Making Sense” and Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” seems to indicate a surge in the appeal of cinematic concert experiences. It’s truly exciting to witness this trend unfold!

The Super Bowl has usually not corresponded with significant box office revenue from movie ticket sales, despite its high TV viewership. This year’s Super Bowl weekend didn’t break the record for the lowest grossing weekend – that was set in 2024 with $38.9 million earned by “Argylle” and “Lisa Frankenstein.” However, this year’s total earnings of $59 million still fell short of a triumphant celebration. This is due to lower attendance around the Super Bowl compared to pre-pandemic levels. For instance, in 2020 and 2019, the Super Bowl weekends generated $84 million and $75 million respectively.

In other domestic box office news, Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” earned an additional $3.9 million during its eighth weekend. This photorealistic prequel, initially released around Christmas, has amassed a total of $235.2 million in North America and $671 million globally so far.

The satirical sci-fi thriller “Companion,” produced by Warner Bros. and New Line, finished in the top five with a box office take of $3 million across 3,285 cinemas. However, despite receiving positive reviews and high audience ratings, there was a dramatic 68% drop in ticket sales compared to its opening weekend. To date, “Companion” has generated $15.4 million domestically and $26.7 million worldwide.

More to come…

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2025-02-09 19:16