Alex Garland鈥檚 provocative 鈥� 鈥� didn鈥檛 only . The film also inspired audiences to go to the cinemas this weekend where it surpassed expectations and earned $25.7 million in ticket sales in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It鈥檚 the biggest R-rated opening of the year to date and a record for A24, the studio behind films like 鈥淓verything Everywhere All At Once鈥� and 鈥淭he Iron Claw.鈥� 鈥淐ivil War鈥� also unseated 鈥� 鈥� from its perch atop the box office. The titan movie from Warner Bros. had .
鈥淐ivil War,鈥� starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny as front-line journalists in the near future covering a devastating conflict in the U.S. and trying to make their way to Washington, D.C. The story, written by Garland, who is also the mind behind 鈥淓x Machina鈥� and 鈥淎nnihilation,鈥� imagines a U.S. in which California and Texas have united against a president who has disbanded the FBI and given himself a third term.
Though entirely fictional, 鈥淐ivil War鈥� has been inspiring debates since that have extended beyond the musings of film critics and traditional reviews. This weekend, The New York Times ran two opinion pieces related to the movie, one by and another by . There were also pieces on CNN and Politico.
Going into the weekend, projections pegged the film to debut in the $15 to $24 million range. The studio said 鈥淐ivil War鈥� overperformed in markets 鈥渇rom LA to El Paso.鈥� The data analytics company EntTelligence reported that the film has attracted over 1.7 million patrons this weekend and that the top three markets were Los Angeles, New York and Dallas.
鈥淭he title alone is enough to spark a conversation in a year where the political discourse is top of mind,鈥� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 鈥淎nd they couldn鈥檛 have picked a better date. This movie is perfectly timed in a month that is very quiet.鈥�
The film opened on 3,838 screens in the U.S. and Canada, including IMAX. It鈥檚 the most expensive movie that the studio has ever made, with a production budget of $50 million, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.
IMAX showings of 鈥淐ivil War,鈥� which was playing on 400 of the large format screens, accounted for $4.2 million, or 16.5% of the domestic total.
Reviews have been largely positive. It鈥檚 currently at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 77% audience score. Its CinemaScore was a B-, which has sometimes indicated that word of mouth might not be strong going forward. But that might not be the case with 鈥淐ivil War,鈥� which doesn鈥檛 have a tremendous amount of competition over the next few weeks until 鈥淭he Fall Guy鈥� opens on May 3.
鈥淵ou have to take all the metrics together, including the competitive landscape,鈥� Dergarabedian said.
But it is a notable win for the studio, which doesn't always open films nationwide out of the gates. Before 鈥淐ivil War,鈥� A24鈥檚 biggest debut was the which opened to $13.6 million in 2018.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 destined to be a $200 million global blockbuster. But it鈥檚 a very high-profile win for A24,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a studio that pushes the envelope. They鈥檙e a brand associated with a certain level of quality and filmmaking expertise, pushing boundaries and taking risks. It鈥檚 well-earned over the years.鈥�
Second place went to 鈥淕odzilla x Kong: The New Empire,鈥� which earned $15.5 million in its third weekend to bring its running domestic total to nearly $158 million. Another 鈥淓mpire鈥� movie, Sony鈥檚 鈥淕hostbusters: Frozen Empire,鈥� took third place in its fourth weekend with $5.8 million. It鈥檚 now at $160 million worldwide.
Rounding out the top five was Universal and DreamWorks鈥� 鈥淜ung Fu Panda 4,鈥� in fourth with $5.5 million in weekend six, and 鈥淒une: Part Two鈥� with $4.3 million in its seventh weekend. 鈥淒une 2鈥� has now earned $272 million domestically.
This weekend also saw the box office year-to-date comparisons take a big hit. Last year, 鈥淭he Super Mario Bros. Movie鈥� brought in over $92 million in its second weekend in theaters. On the same weekend in 2023, the top 10 accounted for over $142 million, compared to this year's $68.4 million. The year to date is back down to 16% after seeing some recovery with the success of 鈥淒une: Part Two.鈥�
鈥淭he box office has been a seesaw,鈥� Dergarabedian said. 鈥淏ut we all knew this was going to be a rough month for comps because of 鈥楳ario.鈥欌��
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. 鈥淐ivil War,鈥� $25.7 million.
2. 鈥淕odzilla x Kong: The New Empire,鈥� $15.5 million.
3. 鈥淕hostbusters: Frozen Empire,鈥� $5.8 million.
4. 鈥淜ung Fu Panda 4,鈥� $5.5 million.
5. 鈥淒une: Part Two,鈥� $4.3 million.
6. 鈥淢onkey Man,鈥� $4.1 million.
7. 鈥淭he First Omen,鈥� $3.8 million.
8. 鈥淭he Long Game," $1.4 million.
9. 鈥淪hrek 2," $1.4 million.
10. 鈥淪UGA - Agust D Tour 鈥楧-DAY鈥� The Movie,鈥� $990,881.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
