鈥� 鈥� is making noise at the box office. The prequel earned an estimated $53 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It鈥檚 both a franchise best and significantly more than expected. Going into the weekend, prerelease tracking had 鈥淒ay One鈥� pegged for a $40 million debut, but audiences were clearly more enthusiastic to see the action-horror starring Lupita Nyong鈥檕 and Joseph Quinn and released by Paramount. The same could not be said for Kevin Costner鈥檚 鈥� ,鈥� which opened to $11 million.
The 鈥漄uiet Place鈥� victory wasn鈥檛 quite enough to snag the coveted first place spot on the charts, though. That honor again went to Disney and Pixar鈥檚 juggernaut 鈥� ,鈥� which added an estimated $57.4 million in its , and crossed $1 billion globally.
There's a distant possibility that the places will shift when actuals are released Monday. But either way it鈥檚 good news for movie theaters in a summer season that鈥檚 finally heating up but still running far behind last year (down 19%) and pre-pandemic norms (down 36% from 2019).
鈥淚nside Out 2鈥� continues to be a box office phenomenon, the likes of which the industry hasn鈥檛 seen since 鈥淏arbie鈥� almost a year ago. In just three weeks of release, it's earned nearly $470 million in North America and $545.5 million internationally, bringing its global total to $1.01 billion. The sequel is the only 2024 release to cross the billion dollar mark and it did it in just 19 days, a record for an animated film.
鈥淭he film鈥檚 stunning global success once again illustrates that audiences the world over will respond to compelling, entertaining movies, and that they want to enjoy them on the big screen,鈥� said Michael O鈥橪eary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, in a statement.
鈥淎 Quiet Place: Day One,鈥� directed by Michael Sarnoski and rated PG-13, is also fast approaching an important threshold out of the gates. Including the $45.5 million from international showings in 59 markets, the $67 million production has already made $98.5 million.
鈥淭here's a lot of love for the 鈥楢 Quiet Place鈥� franchise,鈥� said Chris Aronson, the head of domestic distribution for Paramount. 鈥淲e listened to the fans who wanted to expand the universe.鈥�
In a rare feat for a third film, it opened higher than both 鈥淎 Quiet Place鈥� ($50.2 million opening in April 2018) and 鈥� 鈥� ($47.5 million opening in May 2021). , who wrote and directed the first two, continued serving as a producer.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those rare horror franchises that has generated incredible goodwill with audiences and critics alike,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
Playing on 3,708 screens in the U.S. and Canada, nearly 40% of its domestic earnings came from 鈥減remium screens鈥� including IMAX and other large formats. It entered the marketplace with mostly positive reviews (84% on Rotten Tomatoes); Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore and four out of five stars on PostTrak.
鈥淲e put together a compelling package but also I think it shows people want to go to the movies,鈥� Aronson said. 鈥淭he marketplace really works when there are choices and there鈥檚 something for everybody.鈥�
The start for 鈥淗orizon,鈥� meanwhile, was sluggish. Though older audiences, the ones most likely to support a Western epic, don鈥檛 typically rush out to see films on opening weekend the way people often do for horrors and superheroes, the road ahead will not be easy: Reviews have and it got an underwhelming B- CinemaScore.
The stakes are also a little different for 鈥淗orizon,鈥� a $100 million production that Costner financed on his own and partnered with Warner Bros. to distribute. It opened in 3,334 locations. A decades-old passion project, he mortgaged property in Santa Barbara, Calif. to finance it and exited 鈥淵ellowstone鈥� to see it through. In a bold, unconventional strategy, 鈥淐hapter 2鈥� arrives in theaters later this summer, on Aug. 16. He also has plans for two more movies.
鈥淭he western genre is one of those that is very specific,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be about the long game.鈥�
A quick glance at the top 10 shows that audiences are largely favoring franchises and 鈥渒nown commodities鈥� over originals. 鈥淏ad Boys: Ride or Die鈥� was right behind 鈥淗orizon鈥� on the charts, and it's been in theaters for four weeks already.
鈥淎udiences in the summer want the tried and true, they want the familiar,鈥� Dergarabedian said.
He was also struck by the diversity of genres in the top 10, including two Indian films: The Telugu language sci-fi 鈥淜alki 2898 AD鈥� in fifth place with $5.4 million and the Punjabi language 鈥淛att & Juliet 3鈥� in ninth place with $1.5 million.
"If you can鈥檛 find something that appeals to you at the multiplex right now, you鈥檙e not looking hard enough," Dergarabedian said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淚nside Out 2,鈥� $57.4 million.
2. 鈥淎 Quiet Place: Day One,鈥� $53 million.
3. 鈥淗orizon: An American Saga鈥擟hapter 1,鈥� $11 million.
4. 鈥淏ad Boys: Ride or Die,鈥� $10.3 million.
5. 鈥淜alki 2898 AD,鈥� $5.4 million.
6. 鈥淭he Bikeriders,鈥� $3.3 million.
7. 鈥淭he Garfield Movie,鈥� $2 million.
8. 鈥淜ingdom of the Planet of the Apes,鈥� $168.1 million.
9. 鈥淛att & Juliet 3,鈥� $1.5 million.
10. 鈥淜inds of Kindness,鈥� $1.5 million.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
