“ A peaceful place: first day ” is making waves at the box office. The prequel grossed about $53 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It’s the best franchise and significantly more than expected. Over the weekend, pre-release had “Day One” set for a $40 million debut, but audiences were clearly more excited to see the action horror starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn and released by Paramount . The same could not be said of “ Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” which opened to $11 million.
The victory of “Quiet Place” was not enough to secure the coveted number one spot on the charts. That honor once again went to the Disney and Pixar juggernaut.” Inside Out 2”, which added around US$57.4 million to its third weekend in theatersand surpassed US$1 billion globally.
There is a distant possibility that the locations will change when the actual data is released on Monday. But either way, it’s good news for theaters in a summer season that’s finally heating up, but still far behind last year (down 19%) and pre-pandemic norms (down 36% from 2019). .
“Inside Out 2” continues to be a box office phenomenon the likes of which the industry hasn’t seen since “Barbie” almost a year ago. In just three weeks of release, it grossed 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 surpass the billion-dollar mark and it did so in just 19 days, a record for an animated film.
“The film’s stunning global success illustrates once again that audiences around the world will respond to compelling, entertaining films and want to enjoy them on the big screen,” said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theater. Owners, in a statement.
“A Quiet Place: Day One,” directed by Michael Sarnoski and rated PG-13, is also quickly approaching a major threshold out of the gates. Including $45.5 million from international screenings in 59 markets, the $67 million production has already grossed $98.5 million.
“There’s a lot of love for the ‘A Quiet Place’ franchise,” said Chris Aronson, head of domestic distribution at Paramount. “We listened to fans who wanted to expand the universe.”
In a rare feat for a third film, it opened above “A Quiet Place” ($50.2 million debut in April 2018) and “ A peaceful place: part II ” ($47.5 million opening in May 2021). John Krasinskiwho wrote and directed the first two, continued to act as a producer.
“It’s one of those rare horror franchises that has generated incredible goodwill from both audiences and critics,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.
Showing on 3,708 screens in the U.S. and Canada, nearly 40% of its domestic earnings came from “premium screens,” including IMAX and other large formats. It entered the market with mostly positive reviews (84% on Rotten Tomatoes); Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore and four out of five stars on PostTrak.
“We created an attractive package, but I also think it shows that people want to go to the movies,” Aronson said. “The market really works when there are options and there is something for everyone.”
The beginning of “Horizon”, however, was slow. While older audiences, those most likely to support a Western epic, typically don’t rush to see films on opening weekend like people often do with horror and superhero films, the way forward is not it will be easy: the criticisms have it wasn’t great and got an underwhelming B-CinemaScore.
The stakes are also a little different for “Horizon,” a $100 million production that Costner self-financed and partnered with Warner Bros. It opened in 3,334 locations. A decades-long passion project, he mortgaged a property in Santa Barbara, California, to finance it and left “Yellowstone” to move it forward. In a bold and unconventional strategy, “Chapter 2” hits theaters later this summer, on August 16th. He also has plans for two more films.
“The Western genre is one of those very specific genres,” Dergarabedian said. “It will be a long-term issue.”
A quick look at the top 10 shows that audiences are largely favoring franchises and “well-known merchandise” over originals. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” was just behind “Horizon” on the charts and has been in theaters for four weeks.
“Summer audiences want the tried and true, they want the familiar,” Dergarabedian said.
He was also impressed by the diversity of genres in the top 10, including two Indian films: the Telugu sci-fi “Kalki 2898 AD” in fifth place with $5.4 million and the Punjabi film “Jatt & Juliet 3” in ninth place with US$1.5 million.
“If you can’t find something you like at the multiplex right now, you’re not looking hard enough,” Dergarabedian said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final national numbers will be released on Monday.
1. “Inside Out 2”, US$57.4 million.
2. “A Quiet Place: Day One,” $53 million.
3. “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1”, US$ 11 million.
4. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $10.3 million.
5. “Kalki 2898 AD”, $5.4 million.
6. “The Bikeriders,” $3.3 million.
7. “The Garfield Movie,” $2 million.
8. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $168.1 million.
9. “Jatt & Juliet 3”, US$1.5 million.
10. “Kinds of Kindness,” $1.5 million.
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