Sequels 2, Original 0 at Box Office: ‘PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ and ‘Saw X’ Hit, ‘The Creator’ Doesn’t
PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE, US Zuma (voice: Nylan Parthipan), 2023. © Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
“PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie” (Paramount) topped “Saw X” (Lionsgate) by a healthy $5 million ($23 million to $18 million) on a weekend when either seemed feasible at #1. However, the order here isn’t the real story.
While a “PAW”/”Saw” convergence isn’t exactly the second coming of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” it’s still two films with very different appeal that clicked on the same weekend and will end up in profit.
“The Creator” (Disney) ranked as #3 with $14 million, which isn’t the problem so much as its expense. The Gareth Edwards-directed sci-fi actioner in which humans battle AI drew praise for its visual design at a price ($80 million, before marketing), but a modest debut for the New Regency production is a setback for those hoping creativity and originality might launch this higher.
Still, that does mean three films grossed over $14 million in September, which is by no means a sure thing. The total gross looks like around $86 million, up from $64 million last year. Year to date remains 26 percent above 2022.
Paramount’s $30 million-budgeted animated sequel, based on the popular Canadian Nickelodeon program, benefited from the lack of kids’ films. That will position them for interest through October, with substantial gross ahead.
The first effort in 2021 came with a same-day release on Paramount + and opened to $13 million and grossed $40 million, depsite home play. Expect this one to do $75 million or better. Apart from further revenues, Paramount is now positioned to continue the franchise.
It’s pretty impressive that the 10th film in the “Saw” horror world improved on recent releases. “Spiral” in COVID-parallel 2021 opened to under $9 million. Budgeted at $13 million, “Saw X” came with decent reviews and pre-release interest. It faces a challenge from “Exorcist: The Believer” next week, but it is already a winner.
A fourth new release made the top 5. Behind #4 “The Nun II” (Warner Bros., after three weeks at #1) is “The Blind” (Fathom). The biopic of Phil Robertson, patriarch of the Duck Dynasty waddle, took in just under $5 million since its Thursday debut. This is another example of the events-based company and faith-based audiences creating symmetry outside normal studio releases, to theaters’ benefit.
