Universal and DreamWorks’ DOG MAN has dropped off the best opening of 2025, with a box office of $36.0M in its first three days. The animated kid’s comedy pushed the overall weekend to $85.0M, which is a 41% step up from last year on this same weekend when ARGYLLE, also from Universal, opened with $17.5M and the total box office was $60.3M.
Before this weekend, the best opening of the year had been Lionsgate’s DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA which earned $15.0M during the weekend of January 10-12. Despite a lack of impactful new movies so far, 2025 has still outperformed 2024 in three of the opening four weekends of the year. Through Thursday, January 30th, the current year has earned 108% of the amount in the first four weeks of 2024.
The dreaded Super Bowl weekend is dead ahead, which is typically the weakest moviegoing weekend of the year. Last year, only $37.0M in tickets were sold from February 9-11, placing it last among the 52 weeks of the year and only 2/3rd of the $54.5M earned on the second worst weekend, which was two weeks before January 26-28. This year, Universal’s action comedy LOVE HURTS and Sony’s romantic comedy HEART EYES will try their best to counterprogram up against the #1 televised event of the year.
Produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal, DOG MAN continues the success of family-friendly movies since Thanksgiving. As the first major animated film of 2025, it was greeted with the best opening of the year. DOG MAN is an adaptation of the beloved graphic novel series Dog Man by Dav Pilkey.
DOG MAN books have sold over 60 million copies and the multi-dimensional franchise continues to expand with “Dog Man: The Musical” touring stage performances and “Dog Man Mission Impossible” video game. DOG MAN is a spinoff and story-within-a-story of Pilkey’s other very successful book series “Captain Underpants,” which had its movie treatment in 2017 as CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE.
DOG MAN was directed and written by Peter Hastings, the executive producer of the successful TV show “The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants.” Hastings used his expertise in animation on the new movie, bringing the whimsical and energetic style of Pilkey’s book illustrations to the big screen. The look of the film appeals to longtime fans of the book as well as new audiences.
Its voice actors include Pete Davidson, Ilsa Fischer, and Rickey Gervais. The movie’s storyline follows a half-dog / half-human police officer named Dog Man, who is dedicated to protecting his city while navigating the unique challenges of his dual nature. It explores Dog Man’s efforts to impress his chief while thwarting the nefarious schemes of Petey the Cat, including a plan to clone himself. Critics have given the film a solid 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes while audiences have weighed in with a stronger 86% score.
Alonso Duralde of The Film Verdict noted that while keeping the character’s silliness and love of tennis balls intact, the film “deserves a frenetic pace to match its barrage of absurd jokes and plot twists.” Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com praises the film’s humor, stating that it “balances nicely between goofy jokes for kids and references for adults, who will appreciate the signs on the buildings and the references to classics like APOCALYPSE NOW.”
Conversely, Odie Henderson of the Boston Globe has a more critical take, suggesting that while children may rejoice, many adults will find the film “headache-inducing,” suggesting that interest will quickly fade away soon after it is released on streaming.
The production budget of DOG MAN was a very reasonable $40M and, after its $36.0M opening, it is on a straight path to earning $100M worldwide, which is its threshold for profitability. Here is a comparison of the box office performance of the two movies based on Dav Pilkey’s novels.
DOG MAN (2025) vs. CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE (2017)
- DOG MAN (1/31/2025) – Domestic Opening $36M (3,885 Locations), Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 76%/86%
- CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS (6/2/2017) – Domestic Opening $23.9M (3,434 Locations), Domestic Total $73.9M, Worldwide Total $125.4M, Budget $40M, RT Critics/Audience 87%/63%
We wonder whether Universal’s decision to release its film on the weekend before the Super Bowl, in the dead of winter with schools still in session, was the best strategy. The earlier CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS movie opened on June 2nd, at the beginning of the summer with the majority of K-12 schools having finished the school year.
We see the logic in the end-of-January release date, giving some distance from the Christmas slate of movies and a few weeks before competing family movies arrive. However, it could be that DOG MAN would have done even better by waiting another few weeks until after the Super Bowl.
Warner Bros.’ COMPANION, also in its opening weekend, finished in second place with $9.5M. This film is a unique combination of of science fiction, horror, comedy, and romance offering a little something for everyone. It is the directorial debut of Drew Hancock, who also wrote the screenplay.
The story centers on a friend’s getaway weekend at a remote cabin, which devolves into chaos when it is revealed that one of the participants is a companion robot. The film delves into themes of artificial intelligence, autonomy, and the essence of humanity, challenging viewers’ perceptions of reality.
A pivotal plot point involves Iris discovering that she is a companion robot, setting off a chain of surprising and violent events. Sophie Thatcher (HERETIC from 2024 and MAXXXINE from 2024) plays Iris and Jack Quaid (OPPENHEIMER from 2023 and THE HUNGER GAMES from 2012), the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, portrays Iris’s boyfriend Josh.
Both critics and audiences have come out strongly in favor of the film, giving 94% and 91% scores respectively on Rotten Tomatoes. Vulture.com describes it as “a perfectly mean romp,” highlighting its clever construction and escalating tension.
AP News commends the movie for being “bloody and witty,” noting its exploration of humanity in an AI-powered world. Sophie Thatcher’s performance as Iris has been lauded in particular. Slashfilm hails the movie as “the first great film of 2025,” emphasizing Thatcher’s standout portrayal.
First-time director Drew Hancock has created a 97-minute film that is well-made and delivers an impact for audiences. The team behind this movie is to be commended for creating it on a skinny $10M production budget. It will certainly be profitable, after earning $9.5 in its first three days and needing only $25M in worldwide box office to get there.
Disney’s MUFASA: THE LION KING finished in third place with $6.1M in additional sales, a decline of 29% from last weekend. This is the first time in seven weekends that MUFASA has failed to earn the first or second spot. The film has now amassed $229.5M domestically and $653.0M worldwide. After 45 days, MUFASA has steadily climbed back to now being only $1.0M behind its rival SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3. In just a few more days, Disney’s lion should catch up to its video game rival from Paramount.
MUFASA: THE LION KING vs. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 after 45 Days
- MUFASA: THE LION KING (12/20/2024) – Domestic Opening $35.4M (4,100 Locations), 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, RT Critics/Audience 58%/89%
- SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (12/20/2024) – Domestic Opening $60.1M (3,761 Locations), 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, RT Critics/Audience 86%/95%
Sony’s buddy comedy ONE OF THEM DAYS finished in fourth place with $6.0M and a drop of only 25%. After 17 days, this film has earned $34.5M domestic, and in the next few days should cross over into the black, having a production budget of $14M and needing $35M to be profitable. Moreover, it is still lining up opening dates for international markets, though sales outside the U.S. are not expected to add much to its overall total. Ultimately, we expect it to earn $50M worldwide, which makes this movie a pleasant surprise hit.
Lionsgate’s FLIGHT RISK came in fifth place with $5.6M and a drop of 52% the biggest drop of any holdover picture in the top ten this weekend. This brings its 10-day total to $20.9M domestic. This is a disappointment after its first-place finish last weekend and with only two new pictures opening against it.
The action movie fell four spots and could well miss the top five next weekend. Unfortunately for Lionsgate, both of their first-place opening movies in 2025 will wind up their theatrical runs with a loss. FLIGHT RISK was produced for $26M and needs to earn $65M worldwide to be profitable but started with only $25.1M in its first week, before adding in this weekend’s totals. DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA was produced for $40M and needs $100M worldwide to make a profit, but has earned only $49.5M in its first 21 days, also excluding this weekend’s sales.
Where Are We as of 1/30/2025
After the fourth week of 2025, the domestic box office stands at 108% compared to 2024 and 64% compared to 2019.