'DC League of Super-Pets' takes No. 1 with $23 million

The summer box office showed signs of slowing down this weekend as the animated 'œDC League of Super-Pets'ť opened in theaters across North America.

The superhero spinoff about Superman's dog earned $23 million from 4,314 locations, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though slightly less than expected, it was still enough to capture the first-place spot and knock Jordan Peele's 'œNope'ť into second place in its second weekend.

Analysts had pegged 'œDC League of Super-Pets'ť for a $25 million launch, which was on the lower end for animated openings this summer. In June, the $50.6 million for 'œLightyear'ť was considered underwhelming for the $200 million Disney/Pixar movie. Then in early July, Universal's 'œMinions: The Rise of Gru'ť captured $107 million in its first three days.

But 'œSuper-Pets'ť is more comparable to Universal's 'œThe Bad Guys,'ť which netted out with around $97 million domestic after a $23 million opening, and it's much, much stronger than Paramount's 'œPaws of Fury: The Legend of Hank's'ť $6.3 million debut several weeks ago.

'œThis opening is a huge win for DC fans, the box office, WB and our filmmakers,'ť said Jeff Goldstein, the studio's president of domestic distribution.

'œDC League of Super-Pets'ť was not intended to be a midsummer release. Originally, 'œSuper-Pets'ť had been slated for May, while this weekend was reserved for 'œBlack Adam,'ť Warner Bros.' other Dwayne Johnson superhero pic. But postproduction delays due to a backup at VFX houses forced 'œBlack Adam'ť to move back to October. Instead of giving up the prime date, the studio filled the open spot with a family-friendly title with an all-star voice cast, including Kevin Hart, John Krasinski, Keanu Reeves and Kate McKinnon as an evil guinea pig.

'œSuper-Pets'ť has several summer vacation weeks left with little significant competition, and the hope is that it will continue to grow steadily thanks to positive feedback from audiences this weekend. And with $18.4 million from international showings, it has already grossed $41.4 million globally.

'œThe interest is red hot,'ť Goldstein said. 'œYoung family movies play for a long time. Given our CinemaScore of A- and word of mouth, we're going to be around for a while."

Second place went to Universal's 'œNope,'ť which fell 57% from its debut last weekend and earned an additional $18.6 million. The North American grosses for 'œNope'ť are now sitting at $80.6 million before it begins its international expansion in August.

'œThor: Love and Thunder'ť took third place with $13.1 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its domestic total to $301.5 million. Its global total is now sitting at $662 million, without a release in China.

'œMinions: The Rise of Gru'ť stuck its heels in fourth place in its fifth weekend with $10.9 million. Worldwide, it has now earned $710.4 million.

And rounding out the top five was 'œTop Gun: Maverick,'ť which made an additional $8.2 million in its 10th weekend, bringing its domestic total to $650.1 million.

Major new theatrical releases were limited this weekend, but gave audiences a variety of options. Focus Features debuted the film 'œVengeance'ť in 998 locations this weekend, where it earned an estimated $1.8 million. B.J. Novak's directorial debut follows a podcaster (Novak) who travels from New York to west Texas to investigate the death of his girlfriend. The well-reviewed thriller features Issa Rae and Ashton Kutcher. And Bleecker Street opened the Sundance charmer 'œA Love Song,'ť starring Wes Studi and Dale Dickey, in four theaters, where it earned an estimated $18,702.

Things are slowing down at the domestic box office heading into August, which is not uncommon. And there are still big films to come, like Sony's 'œBullet Train'ť with Brad Pitt, which speeds into theaters next weekend.

'œJuly generated over $1 billion, and that's impressive. It's the first billion-dollar month since December 2019,'ť said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 'œThat gives us a tailwind going into August, but don't expect any $100 million debuts for a while."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. 'œDC League of Super-Pets,'ť $23 million.

2. 'œNope,'ť $18.6 million.

3. 'œThor: Love and Thunder,'ť $13.1 million.

4. 'œMinions: The Rise of Gru,'ť $10.9 million.

5. 'œTop Gun: Maverick,'ť $8.2 million.

6. 'œWhere the Crawdads Sing,'ť $7.5 million.

7. 'œElvis,'ť $5.8 million.

8. 'œThe Black Phone,'ť $2.5 million.

9. 'œJurassic World: Dominion,'ť $2.1 million.

10. 'œVengeance,'ť $1.8 million.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr