It’s a good weekend all the way around as ‘Blockers’ fights off the R-rated comedy curse with a $21.4 million debut, while Ted Kennedy scandal pic ‘Chappaquiddick’ launches to a better-than-expected $6.1 million.
The importance of originality to moviegoers came across loud and clear at the weekend box office.
Paramount’s A Quiet Place — a high-concept horror-thriller directed by John Krasinski that has less than three minutes of dialogue — opened to a booming $50 million from 3,508 theaters in North America, well ahead of expectations and one of the top debuts of all time for a genre horror title.
A Quiet Place easily scaled the box-office chart to land at No. 1, delivering a needed win for Paramount after a dismal run that had seen the studio fall to No. 11 in domestic marketshare. The movie was one of the first films that began shooting after Jim Gianopulos arrived as chairman-CEO in spring 2017, meaning he has guided the film from start to finish.
Produced by Platinum Dunes and costing a modest $17 million to make, A Quiet Place stars Krasinski opposite real-life wife Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. The film — which had been tracking to open to $20 million-$25 million — boasts a 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and earned a B+ CinemaScore, a good grade for a horror film.
Overseas, Krasinski’s pic opened to a pleasing $21 million from its first 40 markets for a global cume of $71 million.
It was a good weekend all the way around for moviegoing as revenue spiked more than 36 percent over the same frame last year.
Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One held well in its sophomore outing, falling a slim 40 percent to $25.1 million for an 11-day domestic total of $96.9 million, while Universal’s Blockers beat the R-rated comedy curse. Globally, the film saw its grosses climb $391.3 million, including a massive $161.2 million in China, the top showing of all time for a Warner Bros. title.
Blockers opened to $21.4 million from 3,379 cinemas, one of the best showings in recent times for an R-rated comedy (one exception is Universal’s Girls Trip., which launched to $31 million in summer 2017). Blockers earned a B CinemaScore, and currently sports an 83 percent Rotten Tomatoes Score.
Helmed by screenwriter Kay Cannon in her feature directorial debut, Blockers is a raunchy, coming-of-age tale about a group of teenagers determined to lose their virginity on prom night. The big hitch: Their parents learn of their plan. Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and John Cena star alongside Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Indira Viswanathan and Gideon Adlon.
Both Blockers and A Quiet Place staged their world premieres at the SXSW festival, as did Ready Player One.
John Curran’s Ted Kennedy scandal pic Chappaquiddick, recounting the 1969 car accident that forever damaged Kennedy’s presidential aspirations, also came in ahead of expectations. The indie film, from Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios, opened to $6.2 million from 1,560 theaters to come in No. 7.
Chappaquiddick — playing notable older, with 35 percent of ticket buyers over the age of 55 — stars Jason Clarke as Kennedy and Kate Mara as Mary Jo Kopechne, the young political aide who was left to drown after Kennedy drove his car off a tiny bridge in 1969.
Inspirational film The Miracle Season, directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer), debuted to $4.1 million for LD Entertainment. The film tells the real-life tale of a Midwestern volleyball squad dealing with the death of their team leader. Helen Hunt, William Hurt, Erin Moriarty and Danika Yarosh star.
Chappaquiddick received a B CinemaScore, and Miracle Season, an A.
Among other highlights, Disney and Marvel’s Black Panther held at No. 4 in its eighth weekend, grossing $8.4 million for a domestic total of $665.4 million and global haul of $1.3 billion. In North America, the superhero film sunk Titanic ($659.4 million) to become the No. 3 title of all time — where it will rest — behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($936.7 million) and Avatar ($760.5 million). Worldwide, Black Panther will soon pass up Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($1.333 billion) to rank as the No. 9 title of all time.
At the specialty box office, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here scored a promising theater average of $43,304 in its debut in three cinemas in New York and Los Angeles.The movie, from Amazon Studios, stars Joaquin Phoenix.
Lean on Pete opened in four theaters in N.Y. and L.A., posting a screen average of $12,530. Charlie Plummer, Steve Buscemi and Chloe Sevigny star in the A24 film.
Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Where is Kyra? reported a theater average of $7,000 upon opening in one theater in New York City. The film, released by Great Point Media/Paladin, also stars Kiefer Sutherland.
More to come.
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