If the brand was genuinely strong then it would open significantly higher than the last one. The fact they are opening very similarly, despite one being unknown to audiences and the other being known, suggests to me that it's mostly just that there is a big budget wide release family film, rather than a specific brand.
The past couple weekends have been pretty interesting, imo. Several ~20+ openers that will turn into successful hits. We've got a major animation, a disaster movie, a young adult film, several dramas, and all have been successful. Nice for there to be some actual competition.