- « A Quiet Place: Day One » earned an estimated $53 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, exceeding predictions but falling short of claiming the No. 1 spot, which went to Disney’s « Inside Out 2, » with an estimated $57.4 million.
- « A Quiet Place: Day One » opened higher than both « A Quiet Place » ($50.2 million opening in April 2018) and « A Quiet Place: Part II » ($47.5 million opening in May 2021).
- « Inside Out 2 » is the only 2024 release to cross the billion dollar mark, and it did it in just 19 days, a record for an animated film.
« A Quiet Place: Day One » is making noise at the box office. The prequel earned an estimated $53 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It’s both a franchise best and significantly more than expected. Going into the weekend, prerelease tracking had « Day One » pegged for a $40 million debut, but audiences were clearly more enthusiastic to see the action-horror starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn and released by Paramount. The same could not be said for Kevin Costner’s « Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1, » which opened to $11 million.
The « Quiet Place » victory wasn’t quite enough to snag the coveted first place spot on the charts, though. That honor again went to Disney and Pixar’s juggernaut « Inside Out 2, » which added an estimated $57.4 million in its third weekend in theaters, and crossed $1 billion globally.
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There’s a distant possibility that the places will shift when actuals are released Monday. But either way it’s good news for movie theaters in a summer season that’s finally heating up but still running far behind last year (down 19%) and pre-pandemic norms (down 36% from 2019).
« Inside Out 2 » continues to be a box office phenomenon, the likes of which the industry hasn’t seen since « Barbie » almost a year ago. In just three weeks of release, it’s earned nearly $470 million in North America and $545.5 million internationally, bringing its global total to $1.01 billion. The sequel is the only 2024 release to cross the billion dollar mark and it did it in just 19 days, a record for an animated film.
« The film’s stunning global success once again illustrates that audiences the world over will respond to compelling, entertaining movies, and that they want to enjoy them on the big screen, » said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, in a statement.
Lupita Nyong’o, left, and Joseph Quinn, right, attend the Paramount Pictures premiere of « A Quiet Place: Day One » at AMC Lincoln Square on June 26, 2024, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
« A Quiet Place: Day One, » directed by Michael Sarnoski and rated PG-13, is also fast approaching an important threshold out of the gates. Including the $45.5 million from international showings in 59 markets, the $67 million production has already made $98.5 million.
« There’s a lot of love for the ‘A Quiet Place’ franchise, » said Chris Aronson, the head of domestic distribution for Paramount. « 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 II » ($47.5 million opening in May 2021). John Krasinski, who wrote and directed the first two, continued serving as a producer.
« It’s one of those rare horror franchises that has generated incredible goodwill with audiences and critics alike, » said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.
Playing on 3,708 screens in the U.S. and Canada, nearly 40% of its domestic earnings came from « premium screens » including IMAX and other large formats. It entered the marketplace with 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 also I think it shows people want to go to the movies, » Aronson said. « The marketplace really works when there are choices and there’s something for everybody. »
The start for « Horizon, » meanwhile, was sluggish. Though older audiences, the ones most likely to support a Western epic, don’t typically rush out to see films on opening weekend the way people often do for horrors and superheroes, the road ahead will not be easy: Reviews have not been great and it got an underwhelming B- CinemaScore.
The stakes are also a little different for « Horizon, » a $100 million production that Costner financed on his own and partnered with Warner Bros. to distribute. It opened in 3,334 locations. A decades-old passion project, he mortgaged property in Santa Barbara, California, to finance it and exited « Yellowstone » to see it through. In a bold, unconventional strategy, « Chapter 2 » arrives in theaters later this summer, on Aug. 16. He also has plans for two more movies.
« The western genre is one of those that is very specific, » Dergarabedian said. « It’s going to be about the long game. »
A quick glance at the top 10 shows that audiences are largely favoring franchises and « known commodities » over originals. « Bad Boys: Ride or Die » was right behind « Horizon » on the charts, and it’s been in theaters for four weeks already.
« Audiences in the summer want the tried and true, they want the familiar, » Dergarabedian said.
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He was also struck by the diversity of genres in the top 10, including two Indian films: The Telugu language sci-fi « Kalki 2898 AD » in fifth place with $5.4 million and the Punjabi language « Jatt & Juliet 3 » in ninth place with $1.5 million.
« If you can’t find something that appeals to you at the multiplex right now, you’re not looking hard enough, » Dergarabedian said.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
- « Inside Out 2, » $57.4 million.
- « A Quiet Place: Day One, » $53 million.
- « Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1, » $11 million.
- « Bad Boys: Ride or Die, » $10.3 million.
- « Kalki 2898 AD, » $5.4 million.
- « The Bikeriders, » $3.3 million.
- « The Garfield Movie, » $2 million.
- « Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, » $168.1 million.
- « Jatt & Juliet 3, » $1.5 million.
- « Kinds of Kindness, » $1.5 million.
