Proving that animated films can still “bite,” given the lackluster performance of Pixar’s Lightyear, the Warner Bros. animated film DC League of Super-Pets performs impressively for an original work of animation in today’s market, earning over $23 million domestically in North America from 4,315 theaters and over $18 million internationally during its projected opening weekend, meeting the estimated $23 million earnings with $2.2 million in revenue from Thursday preview. It also garnered a worldwide earning of $41.4 million.
The DC League of Super-Pets‘ domestic opening is not far behind Universal/DreamWork Animation’s The Bad Guys, which earned a total of $24.95 million from 4,375 theaters. The Warner Bros. animated film, which was expected to generate $25 million at most in its domestic premiere, could be a light at the end of the tunnel after animated films struggled due to the pandemic. Due to a drop in family-friendly consumers, animated films have had trouble drawing audiences to theaters since the start of the pandemic. Rising to the top of the pandemic-era is Universal and Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which fared well enough in its fifth weekend with an estimated $10.9 million and a domestic cumulating in excess of $320.4 million.
In addition, the general audience has responded positively to DC League of Super-Pets, which has received an A- on CinemaScore and approval ratings of 89 percent from the public and 72% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. The significant earnings are most likely owing to the late summer release date of DC’s Black Adam due to VFX delays. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam, who is also the voice behind Krypto in DC League of Super-Pets.
The DC League of Super-Pets chronicles the adventures of Krypto (Johnson), Superman’s pet Labrador, who teams up with Ace (Kevin Hart), Batman’s pet hound, to free their owners and the Justice League members held hostage by Lex Luthor (Marc Maron). Along with Johnson, Hart, and Maron, the animated film also features the voices of Keanu Reeves as Bruce Wayne, John Krasinski as Clark Kent, Kate McKinnon as Lulu, and Olivia Wilde as Lois Lane. The film also marks American screenwriter Jared Stern‘s theatrical directorial debut.
Other casts also include Vanessa Bayer (I Love That For You), Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll), Diego Luna (Narcos: Mexico), Thomas Middleditch (Middleditch and Schwartz), Jameela Jamil (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), John Early (Search Party), and Dascha Polanco (Orange Is the New Black), among others.
Check out the trailer below:
