Case in point: An animated movie based on the
kids TV show "PAW Patrol" left Hugh Jackman's romance drama
"Reminiscence" in the dust in North America, with the heroic
pups of Adventure City collecting six times more than a film
toplined by one of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood in
their respective debuts. That's the unpredictable reality of the
movie theater business as the delta variant continues to depress
ticket sales across the globe.
Neither "PAW Patrol" nor "Reminiscence" were able to best "Free
Guy," which remained victorious for the second weekend straight.
After debuting last weekend to a leading $28.4 million, the
Disney and 20th Century's sci-fi action comedy declined a mere
34% in its second weekend. The film, starring Ryan Reynolds,
added another $18.8 million between Friday and Sunday, marking
an impressive hold with or without a pandemic.
Many summer offerings, including Paramount's "PAW Patrol" and
Warner Bros.' "Reminiscence," were made available on streaming
platforms on the same day as their theatrical debuts. "PAW
Patrol" landed simultaneously on Paramount Plus, while
"Reminiscence" premiered concurrently on HBO Max. Alternatively
"Free Guy," which had the best second-weekend hold of any
nationwide release this summer, is available exclusively in
theaters.
In a closer-than-expected second place, "PAW Patrol" earned $13
million from 3,184 North American theaters. That's not a bad
result for a kids movie, especially considering children under
the age of 12 are currently unable to get vaccinated, making it
less appealing for parents to take the whole family to the
movies. Among opening weekend ticket buyers, 41% were parents
and 47% were kids.
"PAW Patrol," centering on a young boy named Ryder and a heroic
group of pups who save Adventure City from the evil Mayor
Humdinger, was surprisingly well received by youngsters, parents
and, yes, even critics. Variety's Courtney Howard called the
film a "gripping, inspiring animated thriller."
"This is a good opening for a TV-based family animation
release," says David A. Gross, who runs consulting firm
Franchise Entertainment Research. "These movies are not in the
league with the Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Illumination
juggernauts, but they cost less, make money and occasionally
break out ? la 'Alvin and the Chipmunks,' 'Mr. Peabody &
Sherman,' and 'Scooby-Doo.'"
Meanwhile, the Jackman-led "Reminiscence" was barely able to
crack the top 10 in its opening weekend. The film, playing in
3,265 North American locations, managed to scrape together $2
million, which is a terrible result given its $68 million
production budget. However, the movie's underperformance isn't
exactly surprising. "Reminiscence," which garnered mixed
reviews, targets older audiences, a demographic that's been more
reluctant to return to movie theaters.
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