‘PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie’ Beats ‘Saw X,’ ‘The Creator’ To Top Domestic Box Office

Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, and Spin Masters’ PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie took the top spot at the North American box office over the weekend, grossing and estimated $23 million over its debut frame.

The family-friendly sequel screened in 3,989 theaters for a weekend-best average of $5,765 per theater, beating out fellow debutants Saw X and The Creator in second and third.

Mighty Movie is directed by Cal Brunker and unspools in the canine world of the hugely popular PAW Patrol tv and film franchise. This time, the PAW Patrol pups are imbued with superpowers that transform them into the Mighty Pups. It’s an especially exciting development for the runt of the litter, Skye, who must learn that even the smallest dog can make a huge difference.

Critics and audiences alike have been impressed with the film, and that strong word of mouth helped this sequel dwarf PAW Patrol: The Movie’s opening weekend of $13M from back in 2021. That film, though, was simultaneously released on Paramount+ as distributors were still navigating the early post-Covid theatrical landscape.

Another factor working in PAW Patrol’s favor was that the film had very little competition in the kids and family space. Another Paramount title, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, is still kicking around, although last week it dropped from 1,751 theaters to just 1,004 and is nearing the end of its theatrical run, having grossed $176.7M worldwide and $117.5M domestically so far.

Worldwide, The Mighty Movie had the second biggest box office of any film, trailing only China’s Under the Light. PAW Patrol pulled in $23.1M from offshore markets, giving it a global weekend gross of $46.1M. That’s a tremendous opening weekend return on a film that only cost $30M to make, according to Variety.