Box Office: 'A Quiet Place' Heads for Huge $40M-$50M U.S. Debut

Movies


Elsewhere, the R-rated comedy ‘Blockers’ is on course for an $18 million-$20 million opening, while Ted Kennedy scandal pic ‘Chappaquiddick’ is beating expectations.

Paramount’s A Quiet Place — a high-concept horror-thriller directed by John Krasinski that has virtually no dialogue — is booming at the box office, according to early returns.

The Platinum Dunes-produced movie is on course to gross north of $18 million on Friday for a North American launch in the $40 million-$50 million range from 3,508 theaters, one of the best starts ever for a genre horror title and a needed win for Paramount. Understandably, the studio is being cautious and suggesting a $35 million-plus launch, since horror titles can be front-loaded. Friday’s haul will include a stellar $4.3 million in Thursday previews.

In addition to directing duties, Krasinski also stars in A Quiet Place opposite real-life wife Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. Heading into the weekend, A Quiet Place, rated PG-13, was tracking to open to $20 million-$25 million. Sporting a 96 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, the $17 million movie follows a family of four who must remain silent to ward off mysterious creatures that hunt by sound.

A Quiet Place will boast the second-best opening of the year to date behind Black Panther ($202 million) if it passes up Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, which opened to $41.3 million last weekend.

Ready Player One is on course to gross $6 million-$9 million on Friday for a solid sophomore outing of $23 million or more.

The latest R–rated comedy from Universal, Blockers, is headed for a $7 million Friday, including $1.5 million in previews, for an $18 million-$20 million weekend. That’s a solid showing considering the comedy slump that has derailed a number of titles the past two years.

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.

Blockers, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 82 percent, is playing in 3,379 theaters.

Both Blockers and A Quiet Place staged their world premieres at the SXSW festival, as did Ready Player One.

The two other films opening nationwide this weekend — Ted Kennedy scandal pic Chappaquiddick and The Miracle Season — are headed for far more modest openings.

However, director John Curran’s Chappaquiddick, recounting the 1969 car accident that forever damaged Kennedy’s presidential aspirations, is doing better than expected. Early projections show the movie earning $1.8 million-plus on Friday from 1,560 theaters for a weekend debut of $5 million or more (tracking had showed Chappaquiddick coming in at $2 million-$4 million).

Chappaquiddick 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.

The film’s Rotten Tomatoes score is currently 82 percent, while A Miracle Season‘s score is 33 percent.

The Miracle Season, directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer), tells the inspirational story of a Midwestern volleyball squad dealing with the death of their team leader. Helen Hunt, William Hurt, Erin Moriarty and Danika Yarosh star. The film should open to $4 million-$6 million, likewise ahead of expectations.

April 6, 12:40 p.m. Updated with revised weekend estimates.

 

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