For the first time in 2025, a movie earned back-to-back wins at the box office with Universal and DreamWorks’ DOG MAN grossing $13.7M, lifting the total for all films to $54.4M. This compares very favorably to last year’s box office on Super Bowl weekend, which was only $37.0M, led by Universal’s ARGYLLE in its second weekend with $6.2M. One year ago, LISA FRANKENSTEIN from Focus Features was the only major studio movie that dared to open up against the big game, earning $3.7M in its first three days.
This weekend, two new wide releases hit theatres with Sony bringing out their romantic comedy horror film HEART EYES and Universal offering their romantic actioner LOVE HURTS. These new movies, together with DOG MAN, lifted the box office to the highest total since 2020, just before the onset of the pandemic.
While both HEART EYES and LOVE HURTS have romantic storylines, they came out a week before Valentine’s Day to avoid getting completely swamped by next weekend’s highly-anticipated opening of CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD.
Next weekend, Sony will also debut its live-action, family-oriented sequel PADDINGTON IN PERU. Ironically, neither of those movies has a thematic connection to Valentine’s Day. Still, studios understand that mid-February is one of the best slots in the first quarter to open a new movie.
Talk about highs and lows, after this weekend was the lowest gross of the year thus far, next weekend will be the highest and it will most likely hold onto that crown until the weekend of May 23-25, when both MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING and LILO & STICH open.
DOG MAN’s $13.7M was a decline of 62% from its first-place total of $36.0M last weekend. After 10 days, the animated movie has grossed $54.1M domestically and $66.0M worldwide. This continues a solid run for family films, which began last Thanksgiving with the opening of WICKED on November 22nd.
Over the 77 days from 11/22/2024 through 2/6/2025, the domestic box office has produced $2.2B, with strong turnout during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Here is a list of the key family and animated pictures over that time, accounting for $1.4B or an incredible 64% of all box office receipts.
Family-Oriented Movies from 11/22/2024 – 2/6/2025
- WICKED (11/22/2024) – Domestic Total $471.2M
- MOANA 2 (11/27/2024) – Domestic Total $454.4M
- MUFASA: THE LION KING (12/20/2024) – Domestic Total $230.9M
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (12/20/2024) – Domestic Total $231.2M
- DOG MAN (1/31/2025) – Domestic Total $39.5M
DOG MAN has been able to pull in a significant group of moviegoers despite the distractions of the Super Bowl. The first movie based on a Dav Pilkey novel was CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE. When comparing the two movies, DOG MAN has outperformed the earlier film despite its early February release date, whereas CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS opened on a prime, early summer date.
DOG MAN (2025) vs. CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE (2017)
- DOG MAN (1/31/2025) – Domestic Opening $36M, Domestic 2nd Weekend $13.7M (-62%), Domestic 10-day $54.1M, Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 80%/85%
- CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS (6/2/2017) – Domestic Opening $23.9M, Domestic 2nd Weekend $12.2M (-49%), Domestic 10-day $44.4M, Domestic Total $73.9M, Worldwide Total $125.4M, Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 87%/63%
It seems likely that DOG MAN will outgross CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS, and could even reach $100M in domestic sales. Because of its modest production budget of $40M, it will most likely wind up as a profitable project for its backers and justify making a follow-on in the not-too-distant future.
Sony’s romantic comedy slasher film HEART EYES took in $8.5M in its first three days, winning second place on the weekend box office charts. The film was directed by Josh Reuben, who is known for his work on SCARE ME (2020) and WEREWOLVES WITHIN (2021).
The plot revolves around the “Heart Eyes Killer,” who has developed a habit of murdering couples on Valentine’s Day. The killer earned the name “Heart Eyes Killer” by wearing a distinctive mask that features heart-shaped cutouts for eyes, transforming a symbol of love and romance into one of terror.
In the movie, the killer is active in Seattle, murdering one couple at a winery and then later, another at a spa. The suspense builds as the audience wonders who the next victim will be. The focus turns to the couple of Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding), who have been brought together by an odd set of circumstances. The deadly Heart Eyes Killer lurks in the background, as the relationship between the couple develops with comedic interactions between them.
Both critics and audiences have been positive about the film, with scores of 82% and 78% respectively. The Los Angeles Times notes that the film “wields the conventions of rom-coms and retro slashers like weapons, spilling blood and guts galore while also setting the move for love.” Collider describes the film as “ a wonderfully twisted combination of SCREAM and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY noting the emphasis on comedy over horror.
FlickDirect praised the film for its blend of clever comedy and brutal gore, describing it as the perfect Valentine’s Day horror movie for a thrilling date night. The film had a production budget of $18M and will need to get to $45M for profitability. Having earned $8.5M in its opening weekend and likely to get an additional boost in future weeks from positive word of mouth, we expect that it will continue to do well through Valentine’s Day and beyond.
Finishing third is Universal’s romance actioner LOVE HURTS, which earned $5.8M in its first three days. This film marks the directorial debut of Jonathan Eusebio, an accomplished stuntman and coordinator known for his work on THE FALL GUY, DEADPOOL 2, BLACK PANTHER, R, and films in the JOHN WICK and BOURNE franchises. LOVER HURTS stars Ke Huy Quan as Martin Gable and Ariana DeBose as Rose Carlisle.
In 2022, Quan won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE while in 2021 Ariana DeBose also won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in WEST SIDE STORY. In LOVE HURTS, Martin Gable is living as a successful realtor when his former life as a hitman comes back to haunt him after he receives a crimson envelope from his former partner in crime Rose Carlisle, whom he had thought was dead. The action involves intricate fight scenes, many of which were performed by Quan and DeBose themselves. The events occur around Valentine’s Day, thus the movie’s February release date.
Unfortunately, critics have flatly rejected the effort, giving it a 2025-low score of 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences have been kinder, rating it at 65%. The Associated Press said the film lacks directorial vision, comedic timing, and well-developed characters. The film struggles with its tone and fails to effectively link its various subplots to the central theme of love.
The New York Post goes even further by describing the film as a “painful cinematic experience” that is marked by excessive bloodshed and unfunny scenes. Even with this overall negative reaction, some critics had a few positive things to say about the performances of Quan and Debose.
There is little chance that word of mouth will lead to a significant number of new ticket sales, so we expect the movie to fade away rather quickly. Fortunately, it was produced for a very reasonable budget of $18M and only needs to make $45M at the global box office to be profitable. We’re not betting on that happening.
Disney’s MUFASA: THE LION KING finished in fourth place with $3.9M. Now in its 52nd day of release, the movie has grossed $235.2M domestic and $671.1M worldwide and has overtaken its rival SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 in box office results. Since their pre-Christmas opening on 12/20, both films have done well. We think that SONIC 3 should be celebrated for having done as well as it has against the much more expensive MUFASA.
MUFASA: THE LION KING vs. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 after 52 Days
- MUFASA: THE LION KING (12/20/2024) – Domestic Opening $35.4M, Domestic 10-Day $113.5M, Domestic 17-Day $168.6M, Domestic 24-Day $188.7M, Domestic 31-Day $205.8M, Domestic 38-Day $221.1M, Domestic 45-Day $229.5M, Domestic 52-Day $235.2M, RT Critics/Audience 58%/89%
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (12/20/2024) – Domestic Opening $60.1M, Domestic 10-Day $137.6M, Domestic 17-Day $187.5M, Domestic 24-Day $204.5M, Domestic 31-Day $216.5M, Domestic 38-Day $226.1M, Domestic 45-Day $230.5M, Domestic 52-Day $233.1M, RT Critics/Audience 86%/95%
Warner Bros.’ COMPANION finished in fifth place in its second weekend with $3.0M, a drop of 68%. After ten days, the film has grossed $15.5M domestically and $26.7M worldwide and has very positive reviews from both critics and audiences, with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 94% and 89% respectively.
And even though the good vibes had a hard time cutting through the headwinds of Super Bowl weekend, the movie will still be profitable after only $10M was spent on its production. The total worldwide box office after 10 days sits at $26M, which is already enough to turn a profit.
Where Are We as of 2/6/2025
After the fifth week of 2025, the current year box office stands at 108% of the amount earned in the same period from 2024, and 62% of the totals at this time from 2019.
