Harrison Ford’s “The Call of the Wild,” the family adventure based on the classic Jack London novel, earned $1 million in box office previews on Thursday.
Ford stars in the film alongside a furry, but CGI, companion in the form of a dog named Buck. But though the film is the biggest new wide release of the weekend, it will likely fall short of another live-action and CGI hybrid family movie, “Sonic the Hedgehog,” heading strong into its second weekend. “The Call of the Wild” is also the first movie released under the new name 20th Century Studios, with Disney recently renaming the old Fox studio.
The studio is projecting an opening in the $15 million range for “The Call of the Wild.” Compare that to another adventure with a winter release, albeit with a real dog. “A Dog’s Way Home” from last January, debuted to $11.3 million after earning $535,000 in its previews. There’s also “A Dog’s Purpose,” which opened February 2017 and made $466,000 from Thursday night previews and ended up debuting to $18.2 million.
Set during the Gold Rush of the 1890s, “The Call of the Wild” is the story of a big-hearted dog named Buck that finds his domestic life turned upside down when he’s uprooted from his California home and transplanted in the exotic wilds of the Yukon. He becomes a rookie mail delivery dog on a sled team and eventually becomes its leader as he goes on a quest to become his own master. The film is directed by Chris Sanders and written by Michael Green, adapted from London’s book. Ford stars alongside Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan and Bradley Whitford. It has a 65% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Also releasing wide is the STXfilms and Lakeshore Entertainment’s horror film “Brahms: The Boy II,” the sequel to the 2016 film “The Boy,” which grossed $64 million worldwide against a $10 million budget. “Brahms” made $375,000 on Thursday from 1,800 screens and is looking at an opening between $6-7 million, which would be slightly below the $10.7 million domestic opening for “The Boy.” It opens on approximately 2,151 locations starting Friday.
“Brahms: The Boy II” stars Katie Holmes as a mother whose family moves into the Heelshire Mansion, unaware of the bloody events that occurred there during the events of “The Boy.” Soon, her son befriends the diabolical doll named Brahms, dragging the family into a face-to-face confrontation with the mansion’s darkest secret. William Brent Bell directed the film from a screenplay by Stacey Menear based on Menear’s own characters. Christopher Convery, Owain Yeoman and Ralph Ineson co-star.
16 Scene-Stealing Animals in Movies, From 'The Wizard of Oz' to 'Captain Marvel' (Photos)
There are a lot of fun animal movies. But the animals that most jump out at us are the ones that come from movies that are NOT about animals. They’re the ones that genuinely steal the spotlight for a moment from their human counterparts and deserve just as much acclaim. Here are 16 that stole the show.
Toto the Dog – “The Wizard of Oz”
Is there a more famous dog in the history of movies? Capable of infiltrating an army of Oz soldiers and making sure you pay attention to that man behind the curtain, we’d choose Toto, whose real name was Terry, as a pet over Lassie or Rin Tin Tin any day.
MGM
Asta the Dog - "The Thin Man"
Another classic animal star, the wire fox terrier Skippy portrayed Asta in "The Thin Man" films and over a dozen movies overall throughout the 1930s. Skippy starred opposite William Powell, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and more.
MGM
Capuchin Monkey - "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
The Indiana Jones question that has plagued fans for decades centers on the capuchin monkey perched on the shoulder of a Nazi soldier that manages to do the Seig Heil salute. Does that mean the monkey was a Nazi or was it just taught to perform the gesture? And either way, did it deserve its untimely fate at the hands of the face-melting Ark?
Paramount Pictures
Norman the Calf – “City Slickers”
Winning the part through a literal cattle call, Norman won the part after Billy Crystal came to the ranch where the calf was raised and picked it for having a “sweet Bambi look” and the “cutest face of all,” according to EW.
Columbia Pictures
Phil the Groundhog – “Groundhog Day”
Punxsutawney Phil gives a pretty good performance “for a quadraped” in the classic romantic comedy “Groundhog Day,” in which Murray’s character Phil Connors snaps, kidnaps the groundhog and gets in a high-speed chase. “Don’t drive angry!”
Columbia Pictures
Mr. Jinx the Cat – “Meet the Parents”
Deep down every cat owner wants to believe that they might train it as well as Robert De Niro figures out how to train Mr. Jinx to use the toilet. Just don’t try to milk your own cat.
Universal
Baxter the Dog – “Anchorman”
“You know I don’t speak Spanish!” Ron Burgundy’s multi-lingual, cheese-loving, pajama-wearing pet deserves some sort of medal for getting punted into the San Diego Bay. The original dog that played Baxter, Peanut, died in 2010, and a replacement, Quince, was cast to play Baxter in the sequel.
DreamWorks Pictures
Tiger – “The Hangover”
Yes, Mike Tyson really does have three pet tigers. The screenwriters even rewrote the script to include Tyson when they decided they wanted a tiger to appear in the Wolfpack’s hotel suite.
Warner Bros.
Joey the Horse - "War Horse"
We'll give that "War Horse" is technically a movie about an animal, but Steven Spielberg's sweeping war epic is actually so effective in part because of the 15 horses that managed to give an expressive, unified performance as the wonder-horse Joey.
DreamWorks
Uggie the Dog – “The Artist”
A true performer and in a way inspired by Asta from the Golden Hollywood era, Uggie often stole the stage from star Jean Dujardin both onscreen and off, making the rounds during the film’s press cycle and even getting his paw prints at the Chinese Theatre. Sadly, Uggie was put down in 2015 at age 13 after a battle with prostate cancer.
Warner Bros.
Cat – “Inside Llewyn Davis”
The cat Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn Davis holds in the Coen Brothers’ film isn’t just a lost house pet: it’s a symbol for all of Davis’s failures as a person, as a musician and as someone who can feel empathy. Plus it’s surprisingly comfortable on the subway.
CBS Films
Daisy the Dog - "John Wick" (2014)
Lesson learned: do not mess with John Wick's dog. This adorable, 1-year-old beagle at the time of filming won the job over a dozen other puppies in the filmmakers search for "the cutest dog in the world" and managed to warm the heart of even the most cold-blooded of assassins as played by Keanu Reeves.
Summit Entertainment
Black Phillip the Goat – “The Witch” (2016)
The goat in Robert Eggers’s indie horror gem “The Witch” is a very real, 210-pound billy goat named Charlie that gives such a devilishly good performance, turning completely demonic in a surprise twist, that A24 actually made an awards campaign promo for it. The same goat even later showed up in A24’s “It Comes at Night.”
A24
Little Man the Bird - "I, Tonya"
The bird perched on Allison Janney's shoulder in "I, Tonya" might've won her an Oscar. Janney actually "auditioned" three separate birds for the role and this one "just sat there and was so sweet," she told the New York Times. But when the time came to film, it kept pecking at her oxygen tank, forcing her to step up her game and focus.
Neon
Olivia the Westie - "Widows" and "Game Night"
This fluffy star in the making appeared in not one but two 2018 hits, the thriller "Widows" and the comedy "Game Night." Olivia gave an especially good performance when Brian Tyree Henry's character in "Widows" was forced to violently pick her up by the scruff. But all's well that ended well when the two reunited on a talk show.
Fox/Warner Bros.
Goose the Cat - "Captain Marvel"
The important thing to know about Goose is that he's not actually a cat, but rather a "flerken," a vicious, multi-tentacled space beast who can gobble up an army of alien soldiers and leave a permanent scratch for one Nick Fury.
Marvel
1 of 17
Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore
There are a lot of fun animal movies. But the animals that most jump out at us are the ones that come from movies that are NOT about animals. They’re the ones that genuinely steal the spotlight for a moment from their human counterparts and deserve just as much acclaim. Here are 16 that stole the show.
MGM
