Dinosaur Films Compete at North American Box Office

Two contrasting dinosaur films captivated a portion of the North American box office. Neither movie could surpass Spider-Man, which remained the top performer three weekends into its run, nor did they manage to take second place from The Odyssey.

Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie and The End of Oak Street, aimed at young children and as a PG-13 action film respectively, contended for third place during their opening weekend. According to studio estimates on Sunday, the film featuring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor narrowly outperformed, earning $21 million compared to the animated pups’ $20.5 million.

Despite their efforts, neither film threatened Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which continues to draw audiences. It added $70 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada, bringing its domestic total to an impressive $785.8 million. The film is now the fourth-largest domestic release, surpassing $2 billion globally, with $118.7 million from international markets.

The Odyssey, in its fifth weekend, remained in second place, earning $23.2 million domestically, boosting its total to $504.7 million. Globally, Christopher Nolan’s film has achieved over $1.2 billion, aided by $98 million from international screenings, including $36.6 million in China.

The End of Oak Street exceeded expectations, earning around $21 million from 3,446 locations. Internationally, it made $26 million, resulting in a $47 million global opening against an $80 million budget.

Directed by David Robert Mitchell, The End of Oak Street follows suburban parents, played by Hathaway and McGregor, whose neighborhood is transported to prehistoric times in 1982. Critics responded positively, granting it an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Meanwhile, audiences gave it a B CinemaScore. PostTrak exit polls showed over half of viewers would recommend it.

Families embraced Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, released by Paramount Pictures in 3,545 U.S. and Canadian theaters. With a PG rating, it’s the third film of its kind since 2021. It received an A CinemaScore, earning $69 million globally.

Katseye: Wild Hearts, a documentary, completed the top five with $4 million from 724 screens. Other newcomers also made the top 10.

Six: The Musical Live opened sixth at $3 million, followed by The Brink of War at $2.7 million. The Tamil-language romance Vishwanath & Sons garnered $1.6 million to claim tenth place.

Matthew McConaughey’s crime thriller The Rivals of Amziah King fell outside the top 10, earning over $1 million from 632 theaters. The Tony biopic achieved $706,676 from 37 theaters in its second weekend. The A24 release is expanding soon.

Summer box office earnings reached over $4.2 billion, outperforming the pre-pandemic summer of 2019 by 5.7%. Paul Dergarabedian, from marketplace trends at Rentrak, noted that it’s about $130 million short of the 2013 summer record, which featured Iron Man 3 and Despicable Me 2. While 2013 ended with just under $4.8 billion, he predicts this year’s summer as a top five contender.

The year’s cumulative box office revenue stands at nearly $6.9 billion.

Top 10 Movies by Domestic Box Office

Final domestic figures will be released Monday. The list considers estimated ticket sales from Friday to Sunday in U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

• Spider-Man: Brand New Day, $70 million.
• The Odyssey, $23.2 million.
• The End of Oak Street, $21 million.
• Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, $20.5 million.
• Katseye: Wild Hearts, $4 million.
• Six: The Musical Live, $3 million.
• The Brink of War, $2.7 million.
• Toy Story 5, $2.3 million.
• One Night Only, $2 million.
• Vishwanath & Sons, $1.6 million.