Anne Hathaway has officially entered her dinosaur era - and moviegoers are already showing up.
Warner Bros.' The End of Oak Street, starring Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as suburban parents whose ordinary lives take a seriously prehistoric turn, earned $2.5 million in box office previews, giving the big-budget adventure the strongest preview showing among this weekend's new releases.
That puts it ahead of Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie, which collected $1.9 million in previews. But there's a catch: neither movie is expected to dethrone the superhero currently terrorizing the competition.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is projected to remain the overall No. 1 movie for a third weekend, with estimates hovering around $65 million to $70 million. So while Hathaway can claim bragging rights among the newcomers, she's got a long way to go before taking down Spidey.
And Warner Bros. will certainly be watching those numbers closely.
The End of Oak Street reportedly carries a production budget of more than $80 million, making its opening weekend particularly important. Industry projections have the movie landing somewhere around $20 million to $30 million domestically, while Warner Bros. is taking a more conservative view, projecting $18 million to $23 million.
That means this isn't just another opening weekend for Hathaway. It's an expensive gamble that will likely need strong word-of-mouth and considerable staying power to become a theatrical success.
Fortunately, the movie has something going for it that money can't always buy: surprisingly strong buzz.
Directed by It Follows filmmaker David Robert Mitchell, The End of Oak Street throws Hathaway and McGregor into a wild survival adventure after their suburban neighborhood is mysteriously transported into a prehistoric world. Maisy Stella and Christian Convery also star as members of the family suddenly forced to deal with a problem considerably bigger than annoying neighbors or property taxes.
Dinosaurs.
The film also marks a major change of pace for Mitchell, whose reputation was built on darker, more unconventional projects including It Follows and Under the Silver Lake. This time, he's working on a much larger Hollywood canvas, with J.J. Abrams among the producers.
Hathaway, meanwhile, is right at the center of the spectacle. The Oscar winner plays Denise Platt opposite McGregor's Matt Platt, giving one of Hollywood's most recognizable actresses the opportunity to do something audiences haven't exactly seen her do before: try to keep her family alive while prehistoric creatures are roaming outside.
There's also a poignant story behind the film. The End of Oak Street features the final screen appearance of teenage actor Hudson Joseph Meek, who died in December 2024 at age 16 after injuries sustained in a fall from a moving vehicle.
For now, however, Hollywood's attention is firmly fixed on the box office.
With $2.5 million already banked from previews, The End of Oak Street has won the first round against this weekend's fellow newcomers. The much bigger question is whether curious audiences, positive reviews and Hathaway's star power can turn that promising start into the kind of sustained run an $80-million-plus movie needs.
Because beating Paw Patrol is one thing.
Surviving Spider-Man - and an $80 million budget - is another.
