Animation, Horror Show Strongest

After several quiet weeks in movie theaters, four films entered wide release over the weekend. The performances of the four—PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Saw X, The Creator and Dumb Money—told a familiar story at the box office. What worked? Horror and animated franchises. What didn't? Originality and comedy. PAW Patrol, from Paramount Pictures and Spin Master, had timing on its side, the AP reports. The film, a sequel to the 2021 PAW Patrol movie adapted from the Nickelodeon TV series, was the first family animated movie in theaters since Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was released in early August.

Saw X bounced back from the horror franchise's low with an opening weekend of $18 million for Lionsgate. The previous Saw movie, 2021's Spiral, debuted with $8.8 million and totaled $23.3 million domestically. But the 10th Saw came away with the franchise's best opening weekend in more than a decade and strong audience scores. The Creator was easily the biggest film to launch in theaters over the weekend but struggled to catch on. It grossed a modest $14 million at 3,680 theaters while adding $18.3 million internationally. Sony Pictures' Dumb Money expanded nationwide after two weeks of limited release but failed to ignite the kind of populist movement it irreverently dramatizes. The film came away with a disappointing $3.5 million in 2,837 locations.

Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

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, $2.7 million.
9. Expend4bles, $2.5 million.
10. Barbie, $1.4 million.

(More box office stories.)