From the outside looking in, at least for a certain section of society, this weekend’s box office would appear to be a two-horse race between Saw X and The Creator.
After all, the former marks the return of the franchise’s most iconic character in Tobin Bell’s Jigsaw, exists as the long-running horror saga’s first installment since Spiral pushed it past a cumulative haul of $1 billion, and it’s the first-ever chapter to receive genuine critical acclaim.
On the other hand, the latter is the long-awaited return of Gareth Edwards behind the camera, the brains behind what many people are adamant remains the best-ever movie in the Disney era of Star Wars, never mind his status as the man who launched the MonsterVerse when Godzilla roared to life in 2014.
And yet, based on current projections, neither of them are going to win the weekend. Instead, and no doubt much to the chagrin of parents everywhere who’ll be dragged to their local multiplex at least once as a result, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie is leading the charge.
The animated follow-up to a feature-length adaptation of the property that haunts moms and dads everywhere they go is on course for a three-day debut of around $22 million, which would place it miles ahead of Saw X‘s top-end estimates of $17.5 million and The Creator‘s $16 million.
Good news for Paramount, terrible news for parental and familial units everywhere, and yet another indicator that all the sequels and ambition in the world can’t derail the PAW Patrol freight train.