‘DC League Of Super-Pets’ Nabs Promising $2.2 Million Thursday

DC League of Super-Pets got off to a frankly inconclusive start yesterday, earning $2.2 million in Thursday previews. If this were a normal live-action, fan-driven theatrical release, we’d be looking at an over/under $20 million opening for the $90 million Warner Bros. Discovery release. However, this is an animated film, a non-sequel no less, so we can expect far less frontloading for the family-friendly “cats and dogs of the DC Universe” action comedy. Yes, franchise toons can be as “Thursday to the weekend” frontloaded as live-action biggies. Minions: The Rise of Gru earned $125 million over its Fri-Mon launch from a $10.75 million Thursday. Lightyear grossed $51 million from a $5.2 million Thursday. However, it’s not usually the case for “just a new animated film” entries.

Just offhand, The LEGO Batman Movie earned $2.2 million in Thursday previews back in early 2017 and went on to top the box office with $53 million amid a crowded weekend alongside John Wick: Chapter 2 and Fifty Shades Darker. The Boss Baby opened in late March with $50 million from a $1.5 million preview gross. Since I’m not necessarily expecting a $50-$60 million launch, I’ll note that The LEGO Movie 2 earned $34 million in early 2019 from a $1.5 million Thursday. Just this year, Universal and Dreamworks’ The Bad Guys earned $1.15 million on Thursday and went on to open with $24 million. It too had preview showings beginning in the early afternoon, although it wasn’t mid-summer when kids weren’t in school.

A weekend run like The Bad Guys (based on a popular kids-lit series) gets DC Super Pets to around $41 million, which would be an excellent launch for the last big animated film until Disney’s Strange World over Thanksgiving weekend. Legs like Cruella ($1.4 million Thursday/$22 million weekend) or Hotel Transylvania 3 ($2.6/$44 million) get it to $34-$37 million, while legs like Jungle Cruise ($2.7 million/$35 million) get it to $29 million. There is a lot of wiggle room, but A) plenty of families will wait until the weekend and B) it’s not like the movie will be controversial or divisive. The best case scenario is probably LEGO Movie 2 legs, which would give DC Super-Pets an over/under $50 million launch.

It is essentially “The Secret Life of Pets but co-starring the Justice League.” It also has a family-friendly cast (Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart for the kids, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski and Keanu Reeves for the adults) and is damn enjoyable. It’s colorful, gee-whiz fun, with just a bit of non-vulgar “adult humor” (the chyrons are all worth reading) and self-satire to keep adults engaged. Not to be a troll, but it’s (by default) the best theatrical Superman movie in 41 years. However, in terms of Thursday-to-weekend legs, I’ll also note that I took my younger kids on Thursday at 2:00 pm because I knew offering to pick them up early from camp would be a surefire pitch.

Otherwise, we would have hit a 7:00 pm show or waited until Friday night. I imagine plenty of parents will wait to catch this one, as it’s not like there are massive plot twists or reveals that demand immediate viewing. Nonetheless, considering how much relative success WBD has had this year with The Batman, Elvis and (kinda-sorta) Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (which bombed at precisely the level it would have bombed in non-Covid times), I wouldn’t bet against this one legging out over the next month or two. It’s an ideal “air-conditioned babysitter” and a painless sit for adults. I laughed out loud several times and got a kick from hearing Reeves riff on “sad Keanu” as the Dark Knight.