Weekend Box Office: Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Rampage’ Earns $2.4M in Thursday Previews

That’s behind the preview gross for Steven Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’ two weeks ago, although that film had the advantage of opening over the Easter holiday; horror pic ‘Truth or Dare’ starts off with $750,000.

Will moviegoers once again go bananas for Dwayne Johnson?

Johnson is back in theaters this weekend in New Line’s Rampage, which kicked off its North American run with $2.4 million in Thursday-evening previews. The action-adventure is widely expected to win the weekend with $35 million-$40 million, although big-budget videogame adaptations are always a risk.

In terms of its Thursday evening number, Rampage came in behind the $3.8 million earned in previews two weeks ago by Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, which debuted on a Thursday. Ready Player One posted a four-day start of $53 million over Easter weekend, including a three-day take of nearly $42 million.

In the film, Johnson plays a primatologist whose beloved pal — a silverback gorilla — is transformed into a giant menace as the result of a genetic experiment (there’s also a wolf and a crocodile involved). The movie is already drawing strength from boys.

Rampage cost at least $115 million-$120 million to produce.

Also opening this weekend is Truth or Dare, the latest micro-budgeted collaboration from Universal and Blumhouse.The film grossed $750,000 in Thursday previews.

The supernatural thriller — hitting theaters on Friday the 13th — revolves around a group of spring breakers who play an innocent game of truth or dare that turns deadly. Directed by Jeff Wadlow, the film stars Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey.

A Quiet Place, a high-concept horror pic directed by John Krasinski that opened to a dazzling $50 million last weekend, is likely to pose tough competition for Truth or Dare — as well as Rampage. A Quiet Place could earn as much as $25 million in its second outing.

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