Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie has powered its way to a domestic weekend box office victory with a North American haul of $23 million, which was enough to hold off the terrors of Saw X's $18 million debut performance.
As reported by Comscore, Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie placed second internationally by adding another $23.1 million, sitting just behind Under the Light's impressive $54.7 million weekend. Worldwide, the second Paw Patrol big-screen movie has brought in $46.1 million.
This sequel to 2021's Paw Patrol: The Movie surpassed the original's $13.1 million opening weekend and is on its way to potentially outperform its worldwide run of $144.3 million.
In our Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie review, we said it "feels more like a legitimate feature film than its predecessor, but it’s still well within the realm of distractor cinema rather than something parents would want to watch with their kids."
Saw X's $18 million debut wasn't a franchise record, but it did outperform 2021's Spiral ($8.7 million) and 2017's Jigsaw ($16.6 million), which were the last two entries to make their way to theaters. It couldn't, however, earn more than the opening weekends of Saw ($18.2 million), Saw V ($30.0 million), Saw IV ($31.7 million), Saw II ($31.7 million), and franchise-best Saw III ($33.6 million).
Saw X's production budget was roughly $13 million, so it has already earned that back and will only add more as the days continue, especially considering its worldwide total is already at $29.3 million.
In our Saw X review, we said, "Almost 20 years into the franchise, Saw X showcases an emotional depth that manages to take one of these stories higher than ever before."
The Creator, another newcomer, placed third with $14 million in North America. Worldwide, the sci-fi epic from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards has crossed $32.3 million.
In our The Creator review, we said, "As pure spectacle, The Creator is often jaw-dropping in its imagery, its relatively frugal special effects, and the detailed depth of its futuristic design. It's shakier as drama and sci-fi – and in its sentimental depiction of synthetic humans just trying to live their synthetic lives, a bit out of step with the anxieties of our increasingly AI-dominated age."
Rounding out the top five were The Nun II ($4.6 million) and The Blind ($4.1 million). The Nun II's run at the top of the box office may have ended, but its domestic total now stands tall at $154.4 million and its global tally is at $231.2 million.
For more in the world of movies, be sure to check out the biggest movies still scheduled for 2023 and our explainer of Saw X's ending and post-credits scene.
