Rampage Roars To $2.4 Million In Thursday Previews

Can Dwayne Johnson's Rampage dethrone A Quiet Place at the weekend box office? The action film is already off to a solid start, bringing in $2.4 million in Thursday previews ahead of an expected $34 million debut. (via Box Office Mojo)

Rampage, based on the '80s video game of the same name, stars Johnson as Davis Okoye, the head of an anti-poaching unit in Rwanda whose best friend, a rare albino gorilla named George, is infected with a serum that causes him to grow in both size and aggression at an unprecedented rate. The serum also infects a wolf and an alligator, who unleash their wrath on Chicago.

Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jake Lacy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Joe Manganiello also star in Rampage, which was directed by Brad Peyton based on a script from Ryan Engle, Adam Sztykiel, Ryan Condal, and Carlton Cuse. The film has received mixed reviews from critics and currently sits at a 53 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has an 81 percent Audience Score on the same platform.

Rampage's preview showings suggest that it may have an opening weekend that comes in slightly below expectations. The film's previews were $700,000 less than Johnson's San Andreas, which had a $54.5 million debut, and $150,000 behind The Legend of Tarzan, which had a $38.5 million debut. The movie reportedly has a $120 million production budget, so it will need to do big business overseas in order to be profitable.

Also opening this weekend is Blumhouse's Truth or Dare. The movie stars Pretty Little Liars' Lucy Hale as the leader of a group of teens who are haunted by evil spirits after getting roped into a supernaturally-tinged game of truth or dare. Tyler Posey, Landon Liboiron, Nolan Gerard Funk, Hayden Szeto, Sophia Taylor Ali, Aurora Perrineau, Brady Smith, Tom Choi, and Violett Beane also star in the film. 

Truth or Dare was directed by Jeff Wadlow based off a script from Wadlow, Christopher Roach, Michael Reisz, and Jillian Jacobs. The film, which has been trashed by critics with just an 18 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, brought in $700,000 in Thursday preview showings. The film is expected to make somewhere between $15 and $17 million in its debut weekend, which should be good for third place.

Competing with Rampage for first will be the second weekend of the John Krasinski and Emily Blunt-starring horror flick A Quiet Place. That film, which features the real-life couple dealing with supernatural creatures attracted to noise, brought in a massive $50.2 million in its opening weekend after receiving rave reviews from critics. The film is expected to bring in around $30 to $32 million.