A Quiet Place Scares Up Massive $50 Million Opening Weekend
It definitely wasn't a quiet weekend at the box office. John Krasinski's horror flick A Quiet Place blew away initial expectations with a massive $50 million debut, while other new releases Blockers and Chappaquiddick also impressed with $21.4 million and $6.2 million, respectively.
A Quiet Place follows a family who live on a haunted farm where the paranormal creatures are attracted by noise. Because of this, they try to keep as silent as they can, using sign language to communicate and being sure to avoid all potential scratches, bangs, and clangs. However, when the mother (Emily Blunt) gets pregnant again, they have to figure out a way to survive what is sure to be a noisy night.
Krasinski stars alongside his real-life wife Blunt in the film, which he directed and co-wrote with Impulse's Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. The movie, which also features Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe, has been hailed by critics with a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and received a strong marketing push, including a buzzy Super Bowl trailer.
Initial box office expectations were in the high teens or low twenty millions for the film, but as buzz built, those were raised to somewhere in the mid-thirties. However, the movie blew even those higher expectations out of the water thanks to strong word-of-mouth and social media buzz. The film, which earned a B+ CinemaScore, now holds the title for the second biggest opening weekend of the year to date, after Marvel's Black Panther.
Also opening to good buzz and positive critical reviews was the R-rated comedy Blockers. The movie stars Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, and John Cena as three parents who team up to stop their daughters (Kathryn Newton, Gideon Adlon, and Geraldine Viswanathan) from going through with a pact to lose their virginities on prom night. The film, the directorial debut of Pitch Perfect's Kay Cannon, holds an 83 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Universal predicted Blockers would debut in the mid teens, although predictions raised that to somewhere between $17 and $21 million. The movie performed at the top of those expectations, bringing in $21.4 million and taking third place behind the second weekend of Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, which fell just 40 percent and took in an additional $25 million. Blockers holds a B CinemaScore.
Smaller films opening this weekend included the historical drama Chappaquiddick. The movie stars Jason Clarke as Senator Ted Kennedy, recounting the story of the car crash that killed his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara). It received positive reviews from critics with an 80 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and outperformed expectations, earning a spot in the top ten with $6.2 million. The film, which has a B CinemaScore, was predicted to bring in between $2 and $4 million.
Just out of the top ten was the Helen Hunt drama The Miracle Season, about a volleyball team that comes together after the death of one of their teammates. The film has not been a favorite with critics, sitting at a 34 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but received an A CinemaScore. The film took the eleventh spot with $4.1 million, slightly above initial $3.4 million expectations.
You can view this weekend's full box office results (via Box Office Mojo) below.
Top 10 Weekend Box Office Gross
1. A Quiet Place: $50,000,000 (– percent), $50,000,000 Total Domestic Gross
2. Ready Player One: $25,060,000 (-40.0 percent), $96,920,525 Total Domestic Gross
3. Blockers: $21,439,000 (– percent), $21,439,000 Total Domestic Gross
4. Black Panther: $8,430,000 (-26.6 percent), $665,355,740 Total Domestic Gross
5. I Can Only Imagine: $8,356,800 (-20.2 percent), $69,084,002 Total Domestic Gross
6. Tyler Perry's Acrimony: $8,065,000 (-53.0 percent), $31,349,580 Total Domestic Gross
7. Chappaquiddick: $6,200,000 (– percent), $6,200,000 Total Domestic Gross
8. Sherlock Gnomes: $5,600,000 (-20.0 percent), $33,898,061 Total Domestic Gross
9. Pacific Rim Uprising: $4,910,000 (-47.6 percent), $54,919,060 Total Domestic Gross
10. Isle of Dogs: $4,600,000 (+56.3 percent), $12,048,934 Total Domestic Gross