In a weekend dominated by heavy hitters like The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Mortal Kombat II, a woolly underdog has quietly stolen the spotlight. Hugh Jackman's latest film, The Sheep Detectives, a murder mystery that blends the whodunit charm of Knives Out with the gentle heart of Babe, has emerged as the sleeper hit of the season.
The film, directed by Kyle Balda, grossed an estimated $15 million domestically in its opening weekend, landing in the top five behind the Michael Jackson biopic Michael and Billie Eilish's concert film Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard & Soft. While that might not sound like a blockbuster number, it's a strong start for a quirky original comedy that wasn't expected to compete with the weekend's sequels.
A Cozy Mystery with a Big Heart
The Sheep Detectives stars Jackman alongside a roster of A-listers in a story that's been described as drolly funny and disarmingly sweet. The film currently holds a 93% critics' score and a 96% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, earning a "Certified Fresh" badge. The consensus reads: "Drolly funny and sweet as a lamb, The Sheep Detectives is a delightful family entertainment that bundles disarmingly profound themes in a cozy package."
With an $80 million production budget, the film needs to hit around $200 million worldwide to break even. By comparison, the most recent Paddington movie opened with $12 million domestically and went on to gross nearly $200 million globally. Amazon MGM Studios hasn't positioned The Sheep Detectives as a massive theatrical event like Project Hail Mary, but positive word-of-mouth could help it leg out.
Weekend Box Office Landscape
The top of the chart was a tight race between The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Mortal Kombat II. The former saw a negligible second-weekend drop, pushing its domestic total past $150 million. The latter debuted with around $40 million, slightly below projections. Meanwhile, holdovers like Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie dropped out of the top five. Michael earned $35 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic haul to nearly $240 million, while Eilish's concert film, co-directed with James Cameron, took the number five spot with $8 million.
For fans of murder mysteries, The Sheep Detectives joins a growing trend of cozy whodunits. If you're looking for more, check out our list of 10 Mystery Movies That Keep You Guessing Until the Very End or dive into 7 Underrated Netflix Mystery Shows That Deserve More Love.
Stay tuned to ShowtimeSpot for more box office updates and streaming recommendations.
