Weekend box office: ‘PAW Patrol’ and ‘Saw X’ take lead, ‘The Creator’ starts strong

WEB DESK: This long weekend marks the arrival of significant cinematic releases, including a range of genres.

Paramount Pictures presents PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie a family-friendly offering, while Lionsgate delivers Saw X, an R-rated, blood-soaked installment in the horror franchise. 20th Century brings forth The Creator, a sprawling sci-fi epic, and Sony Pictures enters the fray with Dumb Money, a narrative centered on the GameStop stock saga.

According to Yahoo Movies, box office experts have anticipated that PAW Patrol will lead the pack, with an expected opening haul ranging between $18 million and $20 million. Not far behind, Saw X is predicted to carve out its own piece of the box office, with estimates ranging from $15 million to $18 million. Some optimistic projections even foresee a potential surge to $20 million to $25 million, potentially eclipsing the canine heroes of PAW Patrol.

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Early indicators suggest a promising start for Saw X, as it grossed $2 million in box office earnings from Thursday previews. Meanwhile, The Creator generated $1.6 million in its initial screenings.

Adapted from the popular children’s TV series, PAW Patrol chronicles the adventures of a team of search and rescue dogs in the city of Adventure City. The voice cast boasts the talents of McKenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Kim Kardashian, Chris Rock, and James Marsden.

The franchise’s original movie in 2021 opened with a $13 million debut, concurrently releasing on Paramount+ due to the pandemic. With a budget of $30 million, the sequel aspires to surpass the achievements of its predecessor.

Meanwhile, Saw X also appears poised to outperform previous entries in the franchise. Tobin Bell, who portrays the infamous serial killer Jigsaw, returns for this tenth installment, set chronologically between the original Saw and Saw II. Backed by a $13 million budget, Saw X is expected to outshine the 2021 release Spiral ($8.7 million opening) and potentially even the 2017 installment Jigsaw ($16.6 million).

On the other hand,  sci-fi drama The Creator directed by Gareth Edwards and featuring John David Washington in a world controlled by artificial intelligence, is projected to secure a solid $16 million to $19 million at the box office. It is likely to settle in the third position for the weekend.

In contrast, Dumb Money, a movie depicting the Wall Street-Reddit battle over GameStop stock in 2021, featuring Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, and America Ferrera, is anticipated to attain a wide release earning of $5 million to $8 million.