Box Office: 'DC League of Super-Pets' debuts at #1 with $23 million

"DC League of Super-Pets", an animated adventure about the furry friends of legendary superheroes, opened in first place at the domestic box office with $23 million in 4,313 theaters.

Although the Warner Bros. sold enough tickets to dethrone Jordan Peele's "Nope" on the North American charts, it's a lackluster start considering the film's $90 million price tag. Sure, the Legion of Super-Pets isn't as recognizable as Superman, Aquaman, or his other Justice League owners, but "DC League of Super-Pets" might have resonated a bit more with audiences given its affiliation with DC Comics and its high-wattage voice of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart.

"DC League of Super-Pets" didn't gain much traction at the international box office, where it premiered at $18.4 million in 63 markets. In total, the film earned $41.4 million worldwide.

Amid the pandemic, "DC League of Super-Pets" is another kid-friendly film that struggled to impress on its box office debut. Films aimed at parents with young children have been mixed, which is concerning, as family audiences have always been a reliable source of income before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In terms of opening weekend revenue, 'DC League of Super-Pets' came in behind Pixar's 'Lightyear', which debuted at $51 million, and 'Minions: The Rise of Gru" from Universal, which opened at $107 million. But its debut falls in line with other pandemic-era family films like “The Bad Guys” ($23.9 million), “Sing 2” ($22.3 million) and “Encanto.” from Disney ($27 million). Still, it's hard to imagine "DC League of Super-Pets" having anyone at Warner Bros. pouring a bubbly celebratory glass; Around this time last year, the studio's "Space Jam: A New Legacy" opened to $31 million while simultaneously playing on HBO Max.

It helps that in addition to positive reception from ticket buyers (it nabbed an "A-" CinemaScore), "DC League of Super-Pets" doesn't have much competition on the horizon. He has a clear lead until Sony's "Lyle Lyle Crocodile" opens on October 7. HBO Max.

"This is a moderate opening by the standards of animated series," said David A. Gross, who runs film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research. "Recently, several animated films have extended their run to six weeks, generating good domestic multiples."

Though several animated films got off to a slower start than their respective studios would have liked, many showed plenty of staying power at the box office, as Gross notes. For example, "The Bad Guys" and "Encanto" each ended their theatrical releases with $96 million in North America. And "Sing 2" had particularly long legs, hitting $162 million.

This weekend's other new domestic release, B.J. Novak's true-crime-inspired black comedy, "Vengeance," barely cracked the top 10. .

The highly acclaimed "Vengeance" attracted mostly male audiences (males made up 55% of ticket buyers). The film earned a "B+" CinemaScore. Novak, who also wrote the screenplay, plays a New York-based journalist and podcaster who travels to Texas to investigate the death of a girl he was only dating by chance.

Despite an average start to 'DC League of Super-Pets', last weekend's champion 'Nope' slipped to second place with $18.5 million from 3,807 theaters, down 58 %. So far, the UFO thriller - starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer - has grossed $80.5 million in North America. "No" has yet to open at the international box office.

Disney's 'Thor: Love and Thunder' took third place with $13.1 million from 3,650 theaters in its fourth weekend in theaters. These ticket sales take the Marvel adventure past $300 million at the domestic box office, with a current total of $301 million. Internationally, the fourth film "Thor" grossed $361 million, bringing its worldwide total to $662 million.

'Minions: The Rise of Gru' landed in fourth place with $10.8 million from 3,578 theaters and, despite opening in theaters five weeks ago, likely took business away from " DC League of Super-Pets". The latest 'Despicable Me' spin-off was one of the few kid-friendly hits at the pandemic box office, with ticket sales of $320 million in North America and $710 million worldwide .

Paramount's "Top Gun: Maverick" rounded out the top five with $8.2 million in its 10th weekend of release. In back...