The Bad Guys, which debuted with $24 million in United States and Canada ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, has done better than most of the other films currently in theatre according to a report by Newsy.
The outlet says that on an unusually crowded weekend at movie theatres that featured a pricey Viking epic and Nicolas Cage playing himself, DreamWorks Animation’s The Bad Guys bested the field, signaling a continued resurgence for family moviegoing after a downturn during the pandemic.
The Bad Guys, released by Universal Pictures, debuted with $24 million in United States and Canada ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. That came despite steep competition for families from Paramount Pictures’ Sonic The Hedgehog 2, which stayed in second place with $15.2 million its third week of release. It’s grossed $145.8 million domestically thus far.
The apparent health of family moviegoing is especially good news for Hollywood as it heads into its lucrative summer season when films like Universal’s own Minions: Rise of Gru and Walt Disney Co.’s Lightyear — the first Pixar film opening in theatres in two years — hope to approach pre-pandemic levels.
“There’s reason for being more than cautiously optimistic,” says Jim Orr, head of distribution for Universal. “I think audiences this summer are going to be flooding into theaters.”
