Daily Times

Animated superhero pic “DC League of Super-Pets” pulled in an estimated $23 million this weekend in a moderate opening that still managed to top the North American box office, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

The Warner Bros. film, based on the DC Comics’ Legion of Super-Pets, follows Superman’s pet pooch Krypto, who joins up with a shelter dog and others to rescue other four-footed innocents being held by the evil Lex Luthor.

Analyst David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research classed the opening as “moderate” but said similar films have shown the “legs” to draw well for weeks. The “Super-Pets” are voiced by Dwayne Johnson, John Krasinski, Kate McKinnon and Keanu Reeves.

In second place for the Friday-through-Sunday period was last weekend’s box office topper, Universal’s horror flick “Nope” from director Jordan Peele. The alien invasion sci-fi mystery, which stars Daniel Kaluuya, took in $18.6 million.

In third, down one spot from last weekend, was Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder.” The action comedy, starring a muscle-clad Chris Hemsworth as the space Viking who pines for his ex-girlfriend, pulled in $13.1 million.

Universal’s computer-animated “Minions: The Rise of Gru” claimed the fourth spot. The latest goofy episode in the popular “Despicable Me” franchise took in $10.9 million. Its worldwide total now stands close to $700 million.

And in fifth was Paramount’s crowd-pleasing “Top Gun: Maverick,” with Tom Cruise now as a somewhat aging – but still fast and fearless – US navy test pilot.

It earned $8.2 million, taking its worldwide total to $1.3 billion – the only 2022 release to top the $1 billion mark, according to Variety.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

‘Where the Crawdads Sing’

‘Elvis’

‘The Black Phone’

‘Jurassic World: Dominion’

‘Vengeance’