Four new films with major stars from
“PAW Patrol: The Movie,” a
First place went to “Free Guy,” a 20th Century and
“'Free Guy’ is a movie that harkens back to the days when strong word of mouth and a really engaged star,
The relative success of “PAW Patrol” came as a bit of a surprise, even to those involved. Although the movie is based on an immensely popular Nickelodeon series, its target audience of under 6-year-olds is a wild card. Delta variant concerns and its availability to stream at home made it even more of a moving target.
“It’s a younger skewing audience and we’re in interesting times, but I think our marketing teams, both on our side and the exhibition side, did a terrific job at getting the message out,” Aronson said. “The pups are very beloved and have a very, very loyal audience.”
The studio said the audience who turned out to theaters was diverse (41% white, 34% Hispanic and 20% Black) and predominately comprised of families with very young children. Aronson also noted that for the younger kids, “PAW Patrol” is likely their first experience in a movie theater ever.
Celebrities who voiced characters in “PAW Patrol” included
Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” which is available to rent on Disney+ for
In its first weekend, Millennium Media's “The Protégé,” starring Keaton, Q and
Searchlight's “The Night House,” which was very well-reviewed, didn’t connect with its opening weekend audience, who gave it a C- CinemaScore. The indie horror about a recently widowed woman played by Hall grossed an estimated
Meanwhile, “Reminiscence” with Jackman,
It’s one of several Warner Bros.’ adult-skewing films that have underwhelmed with the hybrid release strategy, including the thrillers “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” with
“I think there is a consumer confusion," Dergarabedian said of the many hybrid release strategies. “When people are faced with myriad options, they have to figure out how when and where they can get that content. To rise above the noise, you really have to have a film that’s buzzworthy. ‘Free Guy’ is that buzzworthy movie and it's only available in theaters."
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at
1. “Free Guy,”
2. “PAW Patrol: The Movie,”
3. “Jungle Cruise,”
4. “Don’t Breathe 2,”
5. “Respect,”
6. “The Suicide Squad,”
7. “The Protégé,”
8. “The Night House,”
9. “Reminiscence,”
10. “Black Widow,”
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