Weekend Box Office: No Touchdowns on Super Bowl Weekend

Last Updated on February 28, 2025

The notoriously slow Super Bowl weekend lived up to its dire reputation at the box office this weekend, with neither of the weekend’s two promising new releases, Heart Eyes and Love Hurts, managing to attract much of an audience. As we predicted earlier this week, Captain Underpants spinoff Dog Man didn’t have any trouble keeping its paws on the top spot. However, the 62% week-to-week drop-off isn’t anything to write home about, with the general consensus being that the $13.7 million weekend is a disappointment. However, with a $54 million gross, the film will easily turn a nice profit for Universal and Dreamworks, although it might not earn enough to merit a sequel at this point. Woof.

Heart Eyes, a pretty darn good rom-com/slasher mash-up, opened much softer than expected with $8.5 million. The B-minus CinemaScore isn’t bad for a horror flick, but it seems this won’t launch the Valentine’s Day horror franchise the studio hoped for. Bummer. However, the most heartbreaking opening of the weekend goes to Ke Huy Quan’s actioner Love Hurts, which only managed a disastrous $5.8 million, which doesn’t bode well for The Goonies’ star’s future as an action hero. That said, the general consensus seems to be that it’s the movie, not Quan, that’s the problem, with it having an overly familiar plot and little in the way of sparks with leading lady Ariana DeBose, who’s had a troubled run at the box office following her Oscar win for West Side Story, with Kraven, Argylle, I.S.S and this one all being notable flops. Clearly, Hollywood hasn’t found a movie that properly capitalizes on her talents. 

Mufasa: The Lion King, which has proven to be a sleeper after a disastrous opening over the holidays, has managed to hold on to the fourth spot, earning $3.92 million for a $235 million-plus total. While that’s only a fraction of what the 2019 Lion King made, it’s still a solid result for a movie many thought was going to tank a month ago.

One disappointing entry on the chart is Companion, the buzzy horror flick that plummeted 68% to a $3.02 million weekend. This suggests the movie is due for a quick turnaround to Max, where perhaps it will find the audience that eluded it in theaters. The news was better for the Keke Palmer/SZA vehicle One of Them Days, which has become a major sleeper hit, with it making $3 million for a total just shy of $40 million. 

Of all the movies on the charts this weekend, the one with the highest per-screen average is Becoming Led Zeppelin, which made a solid $2.62 million during its exclusive IMAX run. I was under the weather this weekend, but I plan on catching (and reviewing) this flick sometime this week. The Mel Gibson thriller Flight Risk did $2.6 million for a $25 million total. While not exactly a hit, this poorly received thriller should turn a profit for the hit-strapped Lionsgate. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 hit number 9 with $1.75 million and a $233 million total, while Disney’s Moana 2 rounded out the top 10 with $1.5 million and a massive $456.1 million domestic total.

Next weekend should infuse some much-needed excitement into the box office, with Captain America: Brave New World likely to open north of $70 million. This would be a far cry from the type of grosses we used to expect from the MCU, but it should be decent nonetheless. Do you think it has a chance of actually turning a profit? Let us know in the comments!