Warner Bros. releases director David Robert Mitchell’s sci-fi thriller The End of Oak Street into 3,400 North American theaters on Friday, targeting an $18 million to $23 million domestic opening weekend while facing off against box office heavyweight Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Box Office Showdown Against Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It is dinosaur mayhem at the box office this weekend as two newcomers featuring prehistoric beasts, The End of Oak Street and PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie, set out to challenge the dominant run of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Warner Bros. is launching director David Robert Mitchell’s new feature in 3,400 North American theaters on Friday, with studio projections placing the opening weekend in the range of $18 million to $23 million alongside an international expectation of $20 million to $25 million.
That anticipated debut, however, lands in the shadow of a historic Marvel juggernaut. According to Variety, Brand New Day is projected to retain the No. 1 position at the domestic box office for its third consecutive weekend by earning an estimated $65 million to $70 million. When Warner Bros. scheduled The End of Oak Street for this weekend, the studio was likely banking on superhero business slowing down after a three-week buffer. Instead, Spider-Man continues to be the talk of the town, leaving every other release to battle for second place.
Behind the Scenes of The End of Oak Street
The sci-fi survival feature hails from Bad Robot and carries an $80 million production budget. Anne Hathaway leads the cast alongside Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery. Mitchell, who directed the 2014 horror hit It Follows, helmed the movie from his own script about a family in the early 1980s as they realize that their suburban neighborhood has been transported to an area with prehistoric predators.
Critics have offered a warm reception to the original thriller. The movie holds an 82 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers praising its ability to blend emotion and genre action akin to 1980s Amblin classics. At the film’s premiere, Hathaway expressed to THR her gratitude for original storytelling on the big screen.
“that audiences want to go see original things, and this movie is really original.”
Anne Hathaway, via Hollywoodreporter
Chief film critic David Rooney described the picture in his review for Hollywoodreporter as mindlessly entertaining in a big-dumb-fun kind of way.
Family-Friendly Competition From PAW Patrol
For audiences seeking a different kind of prehistoric adventure, Paramount Pictures is deploying PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie in more than 3,500 North American locations. The third feature installment in the animated franchise projects a domestic opening in the mid-to-high teens after pulling in more than $27 million across 30 international markets.
Produced by Spin Master Entertainment on a $39.5 million production budget, the film features voice work from Carter Young, Mckenna Grace, Terry Crews, Jennifer Hudson, and Snoop Dogg under director Cal Brunker. The previous sequel, 2023’s PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, opened to $22.7 million domestically in late September on its way to a $205 million global run. The franchise itself builds on the original 2021 film that adapted the Nick Jr. series launched in 2013. Critics awarded the latest installment an 85 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
“while the material is thoroughly juvenile, the films impart valuable messages to their impressionable viewers.”
Frank Scheck, via Hollywoodreporter
Marvel Records and Summer Box Office Milestones
While the newcomers fight for market share, Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues rewriting the record books. Sony Pictures expects the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed hit to reach $700 million domestically within days, putting it on a path to challenge the $1.9 billion global haul of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Sadie Sink, Brand New Day stands at $671 million domestically as of August 10, making it the 10th highest-grossing domestic release in history unadjusted for inflation.
The film’s historic performance anchors a broader industry milestone. Backed by hits including The Odyssey and Toy Story 5, the summer box office surpassed the $4 billion mark, achieving only the second time the prime moviegoing season has reached that threshold since the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether The End of Oak Street can carve out sustained legs in the coming weeks will depend heavily on whether audience word of mouth matches critical praise during a relatively soft August release calendar.
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