Box Office: 'Dog Man' Nabs $11M Friday As 'Companion' Earns $4M

American audiences said neither "F**k the Pup-pies" or "ADAB" but Lunar New Year continued to rock hard in China as 'Ne Zha 2' earned $100 million on its *fourth* day.

In today’s Friday box office newsletter…

• Universal’s Dog Man sets to top with a $35 million domestic debut, notching another win for DreamWorks’ “make theatrical franchises from established but not absurdly popular kid-lit books and novels” strategy.

• New Line and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Companion hopes to top $10 million for the weekend, highlighting the challenges of positioning almost every high-concept programmer as at least somewhat of a horror movie.

• One of Them Days remains firm, while A Complete Unknown and The Brutalist remain the primary beneficiaries of any post-nomination Oscar bump.

• China’s Lunar New Year slate continues to crush it in the Middle Kingdom, including jaw-dropping grosses for the animated Ne Zha 2.