‘Quiet Place’s’ family values
John Krasinski and Emily Blunt put their domestic expertise to good use in scare-fest.
When John Krasinski took to the stage last month after the world premiere of his movie “A Quiet Place” at the South by Southwest Film Festival, he seemed startled and surprised not only by the intensity of the audience’s response but also, perhaps, even by the movie itself. “Who made that film and why?” he exhorted the crowd.
Nothing on Krasinski’s résumé would make him an obvious choice to direct, cowrite and co-star in a horror thriller that has audiences screaming with gleeful terror and hiding their eyes with panicked delight. And he might even have agreed with that notion, as he himself hadn’t particularly liked scary movies.
“I definitely am a horror fan now. I’m late to the party, but I want to stay forever,” Krasinski said recently. “It’s such an amazing genre storytelling-wise that I’ve been so ignorant to stay away from up until now. In the last few years there have been some of the best movies period with these amazing, elevated horror movies.”
Krasinski cited “Get Out,” “The Witch,” “Don’t Breathe” and “The Babadook” as those that helped change his thinking about the genre. But for his own film, he also set out to evoke
Paramount Pictures’ dark thriller “A Quiet Place” debuted in first place with $50 million in domestic weekend ticket sales, crushing the most optimistic industry expectations of $25 million, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore.
The PG-13 horror flick, directed by and starring John Krasinski (“The Office”), follows a family of four forced to live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound. It scored a B plus from audience polling firm CinemaScore and a 97% positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film, which cost an estimated $17 million, also stars Emily Blunt (“Sicario,” “The Devil Wears Prada”), Krasinski’s wife, and is the first Paramount title to outperform expectations since Jim Gianopulos took over the studio last year.
The movie follows the surprise horror smash “It,” which opened to $123 million in September and went on to a final gross of $327 million. “A Quiet Place” joins the ranks of recent horror breakouts such as “Annabelle: Creation,” which opened with $35 million and finished with $102 million; “Get Out,” which debuted to $33 million before racking up $176 million; and “Split,” which opened to $40 million on its way to amassing $138 million in ticket sales.
“A Quiet Place” is also the biggest Paramount opening since “Star Trek Beyond” earned $59 million in summer 2016. The studio has endured a string of disappointments including a trio of high-profile bombs (“Downsizing,” “Mother!” and “Suburbicon”) during the fall.
Warner Bros.’ “Ready Player One,” now in its second week, came in at No. 2, adding $25.1 million in ticket sales (a 40% decline) for a cumulative total of $96.9 million.
The raunchy Universal Pictures comedy “Blockers” opened in third place with $21.4 million, surpassing analysts’ predictions of $15 million to $20 million.
The R-rated comedy follows three parents bent on preventing their daughters from losing their virginity on prom night. It earned a B rating on CinemaScore and an 83% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, the film stars Leslie Mann and John Cena and was directed by “Pitch Perfect” scribe Kay Cannon, making it the rare Rrated comedy helmed by a woman.
R-rated comedies have had a tough time at the box office lately, with high-profile flops including “Baywatch,” “Rough Night,” “Snatched,” “The House,” “CHIPS” and “Father Figures.”
While Warner Bros.’ “Game Night” continues to do respectable business, “Blockers” is a true breakthrough for the genre. It’s the third-highest opening for an R-rated comedy in the last three years, behind only 2016’s “Bad Moms” ($23.8 million) and 2017’s “Girls Trip” ($31.2 million). Both had strong holds and went on to gross more than $100 million each.
In fourth place for the weekend, Disney’s “Black Panther” continues to do strong numbers, adding $8.4 million in its eighth weekend in theaters for a cumulative $665.4 million. It is now the third-highestgrossing movie ever at the U.S. box office (not adjusted for inflation), unseating “Titanic,” which finished its domestic run with $659.3 million. The global gross for “Black Panther” is approaching $1.3 billion.
Rounding out the top five, Roadside Attractions’ “I Can Only Imagine,” now in its fourth week, added $8.4 million (and 246 locations) for a cumulative total of $69.1 million.
Also new this weekend was Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures’ “Chappaquiddick,” which made $6.2 million, above analysts’ expectations of $4 million.
The political drama, which cost $20 million to acquire and market, tells the story of a 1969 accident involving Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy that killed young political campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne. It earned a B rating on CinemaScore and an 80% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The final new wide release of the weekend, LD Entertainment’s “The Miracle Season,” starring Helen Hunt, opened with $4.1 million, above analysts’ predictions of $3 million. The film, about a high school volleyball team that must overcome a tragedy, earned an A rating on CinemaScore and a 34% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
In limited release, Fox Searchlight’s “Isle of Dogs” continues to do well, adding 389 theaters (for a total of 554) for $4.6 million in ticket sales, for a cumulative total of $12 million. The film will expand further in the coming weeks.
This week, Neon opens the drama “Borg vs. McEnroe,” New Line Cinema debuts the action flick “Rampage,” Fun Academy premieres the animated movie “Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero” and Universal drops the thriller “Truth or Dare.”