” A quiet place: first day ” is making noise at the box office. The prequel grossed about $53 million in its opening weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It’s both the best franchise yet and way more than expected. Going into the weekend, preview tracking had “Day One” projected 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 can’t be said for Kevin Costner’s film: “ Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1which opened to $11 million.
The victory of “Quiet Place” was not enough, however, to secure the coveted first place in the rankings. That honor once again went to the Disney and Pixar behemoth ” Upside Down 2”, which added approximately $57.4 million to its third weekend at the cinemaand has exceeded $1 billion worldwide.
There’s a remote possibility that venues could change when the actual data is released Monday. Either way, it’s good news for movie theaters in a summer season that’s finally warming 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 has not seen since “Barbie” almost a year ago. In just three weeks after its release, the film has grossed nearly $470 million in North America and $545.5 million internationally, bringing its worldwide total to $1.01 billion. The sequel is the only 2024 release to cross the $1 billion mark and it did so in just 19 days, a record for an animated film.
“The film’s incredible global success once again illustrates that audiences around the world will appreciate and want to see compelling, entertaining films on the big screen,” said Michael O’Leary, Chairman and CEO. of the National Association of Theater. Owners, in a press release.
This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Joseph Quinn, left, and Lupita Nyong’o in a scene from “A Quiet Place: Day One.” (Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures via AP)
“A Quiet Place: Day One,” directed by Michael Sarnoski and rated PG-13, is also fast approaching a major release threshold. 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 excitement about the A Quiet Place franchise,” said Chris Aronson, Paramount’s head of domestic distribution. “We listened to fans who wanted to expand the universe. »
In a rare feat for a third film, it opened higher than “Without a Sound” ($50.2 million opening in April 2018) and ” A Quiet Place: Part II » ($47.5 million, opening May 2021). John Krasinskiwho wrote and directed the first two, continued to work as a producer.
“It’s one of those rare horror franchises that has generated incredible goodwill with audiences and critics,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore.
Broadcast on 3,708 screens in the United States and Canada, nearly 40% of its domestic revenue comes from “premium screens,” including IMAX and other large formats. It hit 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’ve put together an attractive program, but I also think it shows that people want to go to the movies,” Aronson said. “The market really works when there’s choice and there’s something for everyone.”
Horizon has had a slow start. While older audiences, more likely to support a Western epic, don’t typically rush to see movies on the weekend of their release the way people often do for horror and superhero films, the road ahead won’t be easy: critics have it wasn’t great and it got a disappointing B-CinemaScore.
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Jamie Campbell Bower, left, and Kevin Costner in a scene from “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter I.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
The stakes are also a little different for “Horizon,” a $100 million production that Costner financed himself and partnered with Warner Bros. for distribution. It opened in 3,334 locations. A decades-old passion project, he mortgaged a Santa Barbara, Calif., estate to finance it and left “Yellowstone” to see it through. In a bold and unconventional strategy, “Chapter 2” hits theaters later this summer, on Aug. 16. He also has plans for two more films.
“The Western genre is very specific,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s going to be a long-term effort.”
A quick glance at the top 10 shows that audiences overwhelmingly prefer franchises and “known products” over originals. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” came in just behind “Horizon” in the rankings, and it’s already been in theaters for four weeks.
“Summer audiences want the real and the known, they want the familiar,” Dergarabedian said.
He was also struck by the diversity of genres in the top 10, including two Indian films: the Telugu sci-fi film “Kalki 2898 AD” in fifth place with $5.4 million and the Punjabi film “Jatt & Juliet 3” in ninth place with $1.5 million.
“If you can’t find something that interests you at the multiplex right now, you’re not looking hard enough,” Dergarabedian said.
Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Inside Out 2,” $57.4 million.
2. “A Quiet Place: Day 1,” $53 million.
3. “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1”, $11 million.
4. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $10.3 million.
5. “Kalki 2898 AD,” $5.4 million.
6. “The Bikers,” $3.3 million.
7. “The Garfield Movie,” $2 million.
8. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $168.1 million.
9. “Jatt and Juliette 3,” $1.5 million.
10. “Kinds of Kindness,” $1.5 million.