'PAW Patrol' Sequel Edges Out 'Saw X' for No. 1 Debut at Box Office

Seeing a 70 percent uptick over the last installment, 'PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie' surpasses expectations with an estimated $23 million opening in its first weekend.

• Oct 2, 2023

AceShowbiz - "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie" is fighting its way to the top of North American box office. With four wide releases debuting over the weekend after several quiet weeks in movie theaters, the family animated movie rises as the new champion in its first weekend.

The Canadian superhero comedy film grossed an estimated $23 million from 3,989 theaters, surpassing industry expectations of $18-20 million in its opening weekend. Parents and kids made up 90 percent of the audience in North America

The sequel is equally mighty overseas, making $23.1 million from 45 markets for a global bow of $46.1 million, a 70 percent uptick over the last pic. Costing a lean $30 million to produce before marketing, it follows the success of its predecessor, 2021's "Paw Patrol: The Movie", that opened to $13.1 million domestically before turning into a sleeper hit and grossing $140 million globally during the pandemic.

"It's fantastic," Paramount's president of domestic distribution Chris Aronson gushes over the film's opening weekend. "It's a testament to the enduring and growing popularity of this property."

"The 'PAW Patrol' movies are not in the league of the Disney, Pixar and Illumination juggernauts, but they're not designed to be," David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, weighs in. "They cost a fraction of those giants."

Starring Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell, Christian Convery, Brice Gonzalez, Mckenna Grace and Lil Rel Howery as the voice actors, it's certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 6.3/10. With such positive reviews and revenue, it's a no-brainer to green light a third movie for a 2026 release.

Creeping behind the happy pups is "Saw X", which lands in the second place with an estimated $18 million in the United States and Canada. It's below the average opening weekend of the franchise ($23 million), but higher than recent installments "Spiral (2021)" ($8.8 million) and "Jigsaw" ($16.6 million in 2017).

The tenth installment starring Tobin Bell landed the best reviews of any film in the series. Audiences gave the film a B CinemaScore, which is considered a relatively good mark for the genre. It grossed $11.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $29.3 million.

"The Creator" follows in the third place with a muted $14 million from 3,680 cinemas. An $80 million movie financed by New Regency and distributed by Disney's 20th Century Studios, the Gareth Edwards-directed original sci-fi epic hopes to make up ground overseas, but it also struggles with $18.3 million from 48 markets for a $32.3 million global opening.

The fourth newcomer, "The Blind", debuts in the fifth place with an estimated $4.1 million. The faith-based biopic from Fathom Events was spearheaded by the Robertson family of "Duck Dynasty" fame.

Last week's champion "The Nun II" is shoved to the fourth place with an estimated $4.7 million, while "Barbie" plunges to No. 10 with additional $1.4 million. But the biggest loser is perhaps "Expend4bles", which plunges from No. 2 to No. 9 with a mere $2.5 million in its second weekend.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Sep. 29-Oct. 01, 2023):

1. "PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie" - $23 million
2. "Saw X" - $18 million
3. "The Creator" - $14 million
4. "The Nun II" - $4.7 million
5. "The Blind" - $4.1 million
6. "A Haunting in Venice" - $3.8 million
7. "Dumb Money" - $3.5 million
8. "The Equalizer 3" - $2.7 million
9. "Expend4bles" - $2.5 million
10. "Barbie" - $1.4 million

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