Box Office: Paw Patrol, Saw X, The Creator Battle for First Place

Three new films – Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Saw X, and The Creator – are vying for dominance at the box office this weekend. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie is leading the pack, heading toward an opening weekend total of $22.5 million. Saw X, which had the best preview night and Friday total with $8 million, is in second place with a projected $18.6 million for the weekend. The Creator is looking at an opening weekend haul of $14 million, including $5.6 million on its first day. All three films have been positively reviewed, though The Creator‘s reception is a bit more mixed than either Paw Patrol‘s or Saw‘s (which is somewhat surprising in the case of Saw X). ComicBook.com’s Jamie Jirak awarded The Creator 4 stars. In her review, she writes:

“The Creator‘s story starts off unbalanced, but the third act elevates the film by taking it to unexpected and emotional places. If you can stick out the worn tropes, the movie is worth the journey. Edwards’ newest project is almost guaranteed to be a frontrunner for the Best Visual Effects Oscar while Fraser and Soffer’s cinematography also deserves to be in the conversation. When it comes to sci-fi, visuals are deeply important, and The Creator never misses a beat. The new film is a feast for the eyes and should be seen on the biggest screen possible.”

The Nun II, Dumb Money, and A Haunting in Venice remain in the middle of the box office chart. Andrew Hyatt’s faith-based film The Blind also opens this weekend via Fathom Entertainment. The list of the top 10 movies at the box office this weekend follows. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, Saw X, and The Creator are all playing in theaters now. 

1. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $22.5 million

The PAW Patrol pups magically gain superpowers after a meteor strikes Adventure City. However, things take a turn for the worse when Humdinger and a mad scientist steal their powers and turn themselves into supervillains. As the team springs into action to save the city, Skye soon learns that even the smallest pup can make the biggest difference.

Cal Brunker directed PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Barlen. The film’s voice cast includes Christian Corrao, Luxton Handspiker, Callum Shoniker, Ron Pardo, Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, North West, Saint West, James Marsden, Kristen Bell, and Finn Lee-Epp.

2. Saw X

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $18.6 million

Hoping for a miraculous cure, John Kramer travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure, only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer uses deranged and ingenious traps to turn the tables on the con artists.

Kevin Greutert directed Saw X from a screenplay by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger. It stars Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund, Steven Brand, Renata Vaca, and Michael Beach.

3. The Creator

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $14 million

As a future war between the human race and artificial intelligence rages on, ex-special forces agent Joshua is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI. The Creator has developed a mysterious weapon that has the power to end the war and all of mankind. As Joshua and his team of elite operatives venture into enemy-occupied territory, they soon discover the world-ending weapon is actually an AI in the form of a young child.

Gareth Edwards directed The Creator and co-wrote the screenplay with Chris Weitz. It stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Allison Janney, and Madeleine Yuna Voyles.

4. The Nun II

• Week Four
• Weekend: $4.6 million
• Total: $76.6 million

In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.

Michael Chaves directed The Nun II from a screenplay by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper, based on a story by Cooper. It stars Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Bonnie Aarons, Storm Reid, and Anna Popplewell.

5. Dumb Money

• Week Three
• Weekend: $4 million
• Total: $7.8 million

Everyday people flip the script on Wall Street and get rich by turning GameStop into one of the world’s hottest companies. In the middle of everything is Keith Gill, a regular guy who starts it all by sinking his life savings into the stock. When his social media posts start blowing up, so does his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets wealthy — until the billionaires fight back and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.

Craig Gillespie directed Dumb Money from a screenplay by Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, based on the 2021 book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich. The film stars Paul Dano, Pete Davidson, Vincent D’Onofrio, America Ferrera, Nick Offerman, Anthony Ramos, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley, and Seth Rogen.

6. The Blind

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $3.8 million

Long before Phil Robertson was a reality TV star, he fell in love, started a family, and began to spiral out of control. The Blind shares never-before-revealed moments in Phil’s life as he seeks to conquer the shame of his past, ultimately finding redemption in an unlikely place.

Andrew Hyatt directed The Blind from a screenplay he co-wrote with Stephanie Katz. The film stars Aron Von Andrian, Amelia Eve, Connor Tillman, Emily DeForest, John Ales, Aaron Dalla Villa, Brielle Robillard, and Matthew Erick White.

7. A Haunting in Venice

• Week Three
• Weekend: $3.7 million
• Total: $31.5 million
  

Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot investigates a murder while attending a Halloween seance at a haunted palazzo in Venice, Italy.

Kenneth Branagh directed A Haunting in Venice from a screenplay by Michael Green, based on Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party. The film stars Branagh, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Michelle Yeoh.

8. The Equalizer 3

• Week Five
• Weekend: $2.7 million
• Total: $85.9 million
  

Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall finds solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Now living in Southern Italy, he soon discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall becomes their protector by taking on the mafia.

Antoine Fuqua directed The Equalizer 3, the final installment of the film trilogy inspired by the 1985 The Equalizer television series. It stars Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman, Sonia Ammar, and Remo Girone.

9. The Expendables 4

• Week Two
• Weekend: $2.4 million
• Total: $13.2 million
  

Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on, the Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table.

Scott Waugh directed Expend4bles from a screenplay written by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart, and Max Adams. The film stars Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy García.

10. Stop Making Sense

• Week Two
• Weekend: $1.33 million
• Total: $3.29 million

Newly restored in 4K to coincide with its 40th anniversary, the 1984 film was directed by renowned filmmaker Jonathan Demme and is considered by critics as the greatest concert film of all time. Stop Making Sense stars core band members David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison along with Bernie Worrell, Alex Weir, Steve Scales, Lynn Mabry and Edna Holt. The live performance was shot over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December of 1983 and features Talking Heads’ most memorable songs.