Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank was never expected to do particularly well. And yet it still opened below where tracking had it, earning $6 million for the weekend, Bloomberg is reporting.
Paws of Fury has had an incredibly bumpy production history to say the least. It was supposed to originally open back in August of 2017 (complete with a poster of a large orange cat’s rear end to market it, which in hindsight, may not have been the best sign), before it fell into limbo and kept getting delayed again and again. Paws was also initially titled Blazing Samurai as a tribute to the Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles, and it might of been wise of them to stick with that title, as reviews noted that it was basically a beat-for-beat remake of that film. It’s also the name of a parody song used to open the finished movie, and is still used on a website promoting a video game which may or may not actually end up coming out.
Trailers sold Paws of Fury as something that may have seemed all too similar to Kung Fu Panda for many audiences, and since Minions is still raking in a lot of money, that proved to be the go-to for those wanting a silly animated movie right now. Two weeks from now, DC League of Super-Pets opens, which also looks like a very silly outing, but one with brand recognition and better advertising than Paws. Still, Paws of Fury isn’t a total loss, as it’s scoring decently enough with those who are going to see it, which should give it a boost when it arrives on Paramount+ down the road.
Meanwhile, Thor: Love & Thunder made $46 million. While some may be quick to sound alarm bells over the drop it went through, weep not for Marvel, as the summer blockbuster has tallied up $233 million stateside so far and more than $500 million worldwide. Minions: The Rise of Gru is continuing to rise at the box office, with $26 million for the weekend and $262 million in the bank. Jurassic World: Dominion is still one of the most successful movies of the year, even as Universal made the curious decision to make it available On Demand after just one month of release. It’s made about $360 million to date. As for Lightyear, the news just keeps getting worse for it, as it fails to find any form of legs. It has a total of $115 million against a $200 million price tag.
Final figures are due tomorrow.