‘IF’ Movie Fails to Meet Expectations with $35 Million Debut

Not Exactly the opening weekend that makes you dream.

Director John Krasinski’s “IF,” a fantasy comedy that promises your childhood imaginary friends are real, fell short of box office expectations with $35 million. Heading into the weekend, “IF” was expected to gross at least $40 million in its first weekend of release. Based on Friday’s turnout, it looked like “IF” would open at $30 million, but projections were revised upward after Saturday’s strong performance. Ticket sales were good enough for the top spot, but it’s a shaky start for a PG family film that cost $110 million to make and several million more to market. He raised an additional $20 million overseas, for a global total of $55 million.

The good news for Paramount Pictures, which distributed “IF,” is that audiences enjoyed the film, giving it an “A” CinemaScore. Ideally, it will have the same staying power as recent original films aimed at children, including “Migration” and “Elemental,” which managed to continue selling tickets months after their debut. But even though those films had relatively clear leads, “IF” will compete next weekend with another family film, Sony’s animated film “The Garfield Movie.”

Krasinski wrote, directed, produced and stars in “IF,” which follows Brooklyn neighbors Cal and Bea (Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming) with the ability to see other people’s imaginary friends (IF, for short). Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Emily Blunt, Bradley Cooper, Jon Stewart and George Clooney round out the all-star IF cast. Reviews have been mixed (it has 50% on Rotten Tomatoes), with Variety Tomris Laffly calls it “a children’s tale that is both sweet and old-fashioned, but unfortunately falls short of its thematic ambitions.”

It’s another downbeat weekend for the domestic box office, which remains nearly 22% behind 2023 and 42% below the same point in 2019, according to Comscore. Movie theater owners are hoping for a surprise next weekend as Memorial Day marks the release of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” which premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival, and “The Garfield Movie,” which has already debuted internationally with $49 million. Later in the summer, Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Universal and Illumination’s “Despicable Me 4” and Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” will try to save the popcorn season and fill the seats of multiplexes.

“The early summer programming is moderate. The industry expects an overachiever to exceed expectations and stand out,” says David A. Gross of film consultancy Franchise Entertainment Research. “We continue to be significantly below pre-pandemic box office levels, and comparisons will not get any easier as we enter the heart of summer.

Another newcomer, Lionsgate’s disturbing horror film, “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” opened in third place and exceeded expectations with $12 million from 2,856 theaters. The film, which was aiming for a start between $7 million and $9 million, took in $8.5 million, so it’s well-positioned in its theatrical release. While not exactly surprising for the genre, “The Strangers” was panned by audiences and critics, who gave the film a “C” CinemaScore and a dismal 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Never mind the criticism. Lionsgate intends to turn “The Strangers” into a standalone trilogy – separate from the studio’s 2008 thriller of the same name, starring Liv Tyler – with Chapters 2 and 3 to follow. The first part centers on a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez), forced to spend the night in an isolated cabin after their car breaks down in a strange small town. Naturally, they are terrorized by masked strangers, seemingly without mercy or motive.

“(Chapter 1) is going to be profitable and it gives the series something to build on,” Gross says.

Also new in theaters: the Amy Winehouse biopic “Back to Black,” which landed at No. 5 with a dismal $2.85 million from 2,010 theaters. It’s a terrible start for any domestically released film, even though Focus Features acquired the film in the United States and several international territories for less than $20 million. “Back to Black” has already grossed $37 million overseas.

Moviegoers were more fond of the film than critics, which holds a “B+” CinemaScore and 35% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the R-rated film “Back to Black,” an intimate look at the life and career of a destructive musical genius. Marisa Abela plays Amy Winehouse, the British singer-songwriter who rose to fame with hits like “Back to Black” and “Rehab” and died of alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27.

Meanwhile, last weekend’s champ, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” slipped to second place with $26 million from 4,075 theaters, a 55% drop from its debut . So far, the fourth chapter of Disney’s 20th Century reboot franchise “Apes” has generated $100.9 million domestically and $237 million globally.

Universal’s “The Fall Guy,” an original action comedy starring another Hollywood Ryan – Reynolds – and Emily Blunt, took fourth place with $8.4 million from 3,845 locations in its third weekend outing. Despite positive reviews, the film failed to release in early summer and has since only grossed $63 million domestically and $127 million worldwide. The studio spent $140 million on production costs alone, so “The Fall Guy” needs some serious staying power to stick the landing and redeem its theatrical run.

Elsewhere, Amazon MGM documentary “The Blue Angels” raked in $1.325 million from 268 Imax screens worldwide. JJ Abrams and “Top Gun: Maverick” star Glen Powell produced the non-fiction film, which is being released only in Imax and chronicles a year in the cockpit with one of the best teams of aviators in the world – the Navy and Marine Corps Flying Squadron – through their intense training and aerial tour show.

More soon…