Warner Bros.’ dinosaur-themed sci-fi survival movie The End of Oak Street
grossed $2.5 million in Thursday previews across 3,400 North American theaters. Starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, the feature aims for an $18 million to $23 million opening weekend, landing opposite the third-weekend box office juggernaut Spider-Man: Brand New Day
.
The summer box office is getting an unexpected prehistoric jolt as two creature-focused features debut against the unstoppable momentum of Marvel’s latest superhero blockbuster. Directed by David Robert Mitchell from his own script, The End of Oak Street transports a suburban family from the early 1980s straight into an environment teeming with prehistoric predators. Backed by an $80 million production budget and released by Warner Bros., the film stars Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery.
Industry projections place the new release at the top among this weekend’s fresh arrivals, anticipating a domestic opening between $18 million and $23 million, alongside an expected $20 million to $25 million internationally. Outlets tracking the weekend box office note that the dinosaur-focused sci-fi survival movie will rely heavily on positive word-of-mouth and its 85 percent Rotten Tomatoes approval rating from critics to claw past its budget.
Prehistoric Rivalries and Family Franchises at the Box Office
Monsters of a very different sort are carving out a lucrative space lower down the weekend charts. Paramount Pictures and Spin Master Entertainment bring back their animated canines in Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
, which hauled $1.9 million from a combination of Thursday previews and paid Saturday previews. Playing across more than 3,500 North American locations, the third feature in the franchise carries a $39.5 million production budget and is eyeing an opening in the mid-to-high teens domestically. The title has already pulled in $35.4 million across 30 international markets and holds an 86 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“while the material is thoroughly juvenile, the films impart valuable messages to their impressionable viewers.”
Frank Scheck, Critic, The Hollywood Reporter
Family audiences have proven remarkably reliable for the franchise. The previous installment, 2023’s The Mighty Movie,
launched to $22.7 million domestically before climbing to a $205 million global tally, improving upon the $144 worldwide run of the 2021 original adaptation.
Spider-Man Commands the Charts as Counter-Programming Arrives
Neither dinosaur picture poses a genuine threat to the reigning champion of the late-summer slate. Sony Pictures and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day
continues its historic theatrical run into its third weekend, outpacing all challengers. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and starring Tom Holland, the superhero feature recently became the fastest title to barrel past the $700 million threshold domestically.
Trade analysts estimate the web-slinger will add another $65 million to $70 million this weekend—marking a roughly 55% drop—as it marches steadily toward the $2 billion worldwide milestone. Having crossed $1.68 billion globally in just 12 days, it stands as the year’s highest-grossing film.
Beyond the heavyweight clashes, theaters are welcoming a crowded slate of counter-programming. Alongside the prehistoric sci-fi and animated pups, fifth-weekend holdover The Odyssey
targets another $17 million to $20 million. Meanwhile, a trio of new releases—including the Matthew McConaughey-led thriller The Rivals of Amziah King
and the Kristen Stewart stoner comedy The Wrong Girls
—stare down single-digit opening projections.
Critical Reception and the Gamble on Original Concept IP
Critical response has leaned toward enthusiastic escapism; chief film critic David Rooney characterized the feature as mindlessly entertaining in a big-dumb-fun kind of way
in his review.
At the film’s premiere, Anne Hathaway voiced her appreciation for cinematic risk-taking, sharing with reporters her gratitude that audiences want to go see original things, and this movie is really original.
