Box office for ‘A Quiet Place’ prequel speaks volumes as Costner’s western gets off to rocky start

“ 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 film in the franchise and much more than anyone expected. Before the weekend, “Day One” release predictions were for a $40 million debut, but audiences were clearly more excited to see the action-horror film starring Lupita Nyong ‘o and Joseph Quinn and distributed by Paramount. The same could not be said of the ” Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1”, which opened to $11 million.

The victory for “Quiet Place,” however, was not enough to land the coveted top spot on the charts. This honor once again went to the Disney and Pixar juggernaut. » Vice-Versa 2“, which added about $57.4 million to its third weekend at the cinemaand surpassed $1 billion globally.

Locations may change when the films are shown on Monday. Either way, it’s good news for movie theaters in a summer season that’s finally starting to heat up, but remains far behind the norms of last year (down 19%) and before the pandemic (down 36% compared to 2019).

“Inside Out 2” continues to be a box office phenomenon, the likes of which the industry hasn’t seen since “Barbie” nearly a year ago. In just three weeks of 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 release in 2024 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.

“A Quiet Place: Day One,” directed by Michael Sarnoski and rated PG-13, is also fast approaching a major release threshold. Including the $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, Paramount’s head of domestic distribution. “We listened to the fans who wanted to expand the universe.”

In a rare feat for a third film, it opened higher than both “A Quiet Place” ($50.2 million opening in April 2018) and “ A Quiet Place: Part 2 “($47.5 million, opening May 2021). John Krasinskiwho wrote and directed the first two, continued as producer.

“It’s one of those rare horror franchises that has garnered incredible sympathy from audiences and critics alike,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

Playing on 3,708 screens in the United States and Canada, nearly 40% of its domestic revenue came from “premium screens,” including IMAX and other large formats. It opened to mostly positive reviews (84% on Rotten Tomatoes); audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore and four out of five stars on PostTrak.

“We put together a compelling package, but I also think it shows that people want to go to the movies,” Aronson said. “The market really works when there are choices and there is something for everyone.”

Horizon, meanwhile, has had a sluggish start. While older audiences, more likely to support a Western epic, don’t typically rush to see movies on opening weekend the way they 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.

The stakes are also a little different for “Horizon,” a $100 million production that Costner financed himself and in partnership with Warner Bros. for distribution. It opened in 3,334 locations. A decades-old passion project, he mortgaged a property in Santa Barbara, California, to finance it and left “Yellowstone” to see it through. In a bold and unconventional strategy, “Chapter 2” arrives in theaters later this summer, on August 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.

It was also struck by the diversity of genres in the top 10, including two Indian films: Telugu sci-fi film “Kalki 2898 AD” at fifth place with $5.4 million and Punjabi film “Jatt & Juliet 3” at 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 ticket sales for U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday to Sunday, according to Comscore. The final figures for the domestic market will be published on Monday.

1. “Inside Out 2,” $57.4 million.

2. “Quietly: Day 1,” $53 million.

3. “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1,” $11 million.

4. “Bad Boys: Ride With Us,” $10.3 million.

5. “Kalki 2898 AD,” $5.4 million.

6. “The Bikeriders,” $3.3 million.

7. “The Garfield Movie,” $2 million.

8. “Rider of the Planet of the Apes,” $168.1 million.

9. “Jatt & Juliet 3,” $1.5 million.

10. “Types of Kindness,” $1.5 million.