

One of the biggest success stories was “Marley & Me,” the 2008 film about a rambunctious Labrador retriever that grossed more than $240 million worldwide. These are films that can be produced far cheaper than your average action flick and come with a built-in audience: 37%-47% of American households own a dog, according to the American Pet Products Assn.
#A dogs purpose controversy movie
If “A Dog’s Purpose” does indeed struggle at the box office this weekend, it will be a rare instance of failure for a genre that has historically proved lucrative in the movie business. A photo shoot that The Times had scheduled with the movie’s canine stars was also scrapped by the studio. Meanwhile, in an effort to avoid a further public relations nightmare, Universal Pictures - which is distributing “A Dog’s Purpose” - canceled the film’s red carpet premiere and promotional press junket. Still, Amblin, which declined to comment for this story, released a statement saying it would continue reviewing footage of the incident. The filmmakers swiftly dismissed the clip, claiming that it had been edited to look like the dog was in more danger than in reality. “TERRIFIED GERMAN SHEPHERD FORCED INTO TURBULENT WATER,” the all-caps headline proclaimed. 18, footage depicting a dog appearing to nearly drown during an on-set stunt turned up on TMZ. That would have been a strong debut for a movie that cost production company Amblin Entertainment less than $25 million to make, putting it on track to ultimately collect at least $75 million in domestic ticket sales.īut then, on Jan. Three weeks before “A Dog’s Purpose” hit theaters, industry estimates suggested the film was set to gross more than $25 million in its opening weekend.
