Strays lacks bite with soft box office debut
Strays has received a soft landing in cinemas, with the dog movie taking modest numbers.
The Universal film, which features the voices of Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx, grossed around $8.3 million in its opening weekend (via Deadline), placing fifth. Blue Beetle dethroned Barbie from the top.
Deadline notes that Strays' lukewarm reception may have been partly down to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, meaning that leading actors Ferrell and Foxx were unable to promote Strays.
Confusion over the film's target audience may also have impacted numbers, with the R-rated movie initially appearing family-friendly.
Related: Strays producers explain why the "cathartic" ending was necessary
The comedy film, sees Reggie (voiced by Ferrell) abandoned on the street by his owner Doug (Will Forte), later being taken in by a host of other stray dogs (voiced by Foxx, Isla Fisher and Randall Park).
Deciding to take enact revenge on Reggie's owner, the dogs embark on a foul-mouthed trip across the city to track down Doug.
Strays has received mixed reviews from critics, sitting at 55% on review site Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing.
Several reviews have praised the film's light-hearted humour as well as its star-studded cast, while others called the R-rated gags crude and excessive.
Related: They Cloned Tyrone's Jamie Foxx opens up on health scare in emotional video
Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller recently revealed to Digital Spy that one poo scene from the film had been cut for being too graphic.
"We kind of went to places that pushed that line, or maybe crossed that line, or ran past the line and kept going," Miller said, recalling the scene.
"There was just too much poo," Lord added, with the pair explaining they cut the original scene down to avoid grossing out audiences.
Strays is out now in cinemas.
You Might Also Like
