‘A Quiet Place’ Becomes 2018’s Biggest Opener Behind ‘Black Panther’
Paramount got a much-needed win this weekend as its latest horror flick, A Quiet Place stunned the box office this weekend with an estimated $50 million debut.
From its critical reception to its breakout debut, A Quiet Place is eerily similar to last year’s Get Out. Going into the weekend, A Quiet Place would’ve been pegged for a respectable $20 million start. By Sunday, the Emily Blunt film easily doubled that expectation. Near-perfect reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, positive word-of-mouth from SXSW and an intriguing marketing campaign proved to be a perfect storm at the box office. Even horror hits like Split ($40.0 million) and The Conjuring ($41.9 million) failed to attract this large of an audience. In fact, with the exception of Paranormal Activity 3, one might have to go back to the days of M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs ($60.1 million) and The Village (50.7 million). Even though audiences scored the film a B+ on CinemaScore, we may still see a leggy run for A Quiet Place. Topping Ready Player One’s potential $140 million finish could happen.
Ready Player One dominated the box office last weekend, though it was nowhere near ready this frame for A Quiet Place playing spoiler. Regardless, the Steven Spielberg flick only dipped 40% its sophomore frame. With another $25.1 million in the bank, Ready Player One scored up $96.9 million in its first 11 days. It should have no problems passing $100 million by Tuesday. Spielberg hasn’t seen that milestone since Lincoln in 2012 and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull before that. A finish around $140 million seems possible.
Universal’s Blockers opened in third behind A Quiet Place and Ready Player One with $21.4 million. Currently, it’s the biggest comedy opener of 2018, slightly ahead of Game Night ($17.0 million). Premiering at SXSW, Blockers has clicked with critics and audiences. Critics scored the film an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences awarded it a B on CinemaScore. If Blockers can hold as strong as game night, we might be looking at a run around $80 million. That won’t be enough to get WWE superstar John Cena to century mark. Still, it’s be on par with his other films like Ferdinand ($84.2 million) and Sisters ($87.0 million).
Black Panther did it again this weekend, though this may be one of final milestone’s we’ll be able to discuss. Marvel’s unstoppable blockbuster toppled both Jurassic World ($652.3 million) and Titanic ($659.3 million) this weekend. After eight weekends in theaters, Black Panther grossed yet another $8.4 million, sitting at $665.4 million domestically. If Black Panther can maintain its leggy momentum through Avengers: Infinity War, we might be looking at a $690 million run.
Even with Easter now in the rear-view mirror, faith-based film I Can Only Imagine enjoyed its best hold to date. Down 20.2% from the holiday weekend, the Roadside Attractions flick has grossed another $8.4 million. After four weeks in theaters, I Can Only Imagine has cracked $69 million and an impressive 4x multiplier. This may be its final weekend amongst top films, but rest assured this leggy run will continue to grow. I Can Only Imagine might flirt with a $90 million run rivaling 2014’s Heaven is for Real ($91.4 million). That would make it the leggiest wide release of 2018, passing breakout hit Peter Rabbit (currently a 4.52x multiplier).
Note: These #’s are based on Sunday’s projections and can change with Monday’s actual #’s
#1 – A Quiet Place (NR)
$50.0 million / $50.0 million total
#2 – Ready Player One (1)
$25.1 million / $96.9 million total
#3 – Blockers (NR)
$21.4 million / $21.4 million total
#4 – Black Panther (3)
$8.4 million / $665.4 million total
#5 – I Can Only Imagine (4)
$8.4 million / $69.1 million total
Opening Next Week: Beirut (Wednesday), Borg vs. McEnroe, Rampage, Sgt. Stubby, Truth or Dare, Isle of Dogs (expanding)
Source: Box Office Mojo
