Universal/DreamWorks/Jellyfish Pictures’ “Dog Man” is helping ease theaters through a slow period at the box office, earning $10 million on its opening day as it is now projected for a $35 million opening at the box office.
Prior to release, projections for the animated adaptation of Dav Pikey’s graphic novels topped out at $27 million. But the appetite for family films that turned Disney’s “Mufasa” and Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” into holiday hits remains strong, and so is audience reception for “Dog Man” with an A on CinemaScore and an early 89% on the Rotten Tomatoes Popcornmeter.
Primarily animated by the UK-based Jellyfish Pictures, “Dog Man” carries a reported budget of just $40 million. Even if next week’s Super Bowl and upcoming competition like “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Paddington in Peru” hampers its potential for legs, “Dog Man” should easily turn a theatrical profit as it earns the second highest opening for a January animated release behind only the $41 million of “Kung Fu Panda 3” in 2016.
Also hitting theaters this weekend is Warner Bros./New Line’s “Companion,” which has earned rave reviews from critics with a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score. Industry estimates currently have the film earning a $9 million opening from 3,285 locations, meeting pre-release projections.
“Companion” has also earned a B+ on CinemaScore, higher than the B- of the recent breakout horror hit “Nosferatu.” With a reported $10 million budget, the film now looks to win over curious horror fans to leg out in theaters, as the common response from critics and early moviegoers is that the film is a demented twist on modern relationships that is better the less one knows about it.
