The China Mail - 'Dog Man' fetches top spot in N.America box office

The DreamWorks animated flick about a canine crime fighter took in an estimated $36 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said.

The "Dog Man" books -- a spinoff from the "Captain Underpants" series by author Dav Pilkey -- have a huge following among young readers. A "Captain Underpants" film in 2017 grossed $125 million worldwide on a budget of roughly one-third that amount.

Another new release, sci-fi satire "Companion," from Warner Bros. and New Line, placed second, at $9.5 million. Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher star in the story of a weekend getaway that gets weird when a group of friends learn that one guest is a "companion robot."

The movie's earnings in a single weekend nearly equaled its $10 million budget, according to Variety.

Third at the box office, down one spot from last weekend, was Disney animation "Mufasa: The Lion King," at $6.1 million. That pushed its total ticket sales -- domestic and international -- past $650 million.

Sony's comedy "One of Them Days" placed fourth, at $6 million. Keke Palmer and singer SZA star as roommates in Los Angeles scrambling to pay the rent after a boyfriend squanders their money.

The film, under first-time director Lawrence Lamont, has already earned $34.5 million on a budget of just $14 million. The Los Angeles Times called it "a treat to be gobbled up."

And nose-diving to fifth place from last weekend's top position was Lionsgate action movie "Flight Risk," at $5.6 million. Reviews have been poor for the Mel Gibson-directed film -- called "minimally endurable" by the Wall Street Journal.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" ($3.2 million)

"Moana 2" ($2.8 million)

"A Complete Unknown" ($2.2 million)

"The Brutalist" ($1.9 million)

"Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" ($1.6 million)

A.Sun--ThChM