“The suspenseful silence that distinguishes the ‘A Quiet Place’ franchise reverberated loudly in its opening weekend with the prequel, ‘A Quiet Place: Day One.’ The newest addition to the franchise garnered an impressive $53 million upon its release at North American box offices, as per studio estimates that were announced on Sunday.
The financial victory surpassed franchise records and, against the odds, exceeded initial forecasts. Analysts had predicted a somewhat modest debut of $40 million in this opening weekend. However, fans flocked to theaters, aching to immerse themselves in the high octane thriller featuring the talented Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn, released to acclaim by acclaimed Hollywood film studio, Paramount Pictures.
The financial performance of ‘A Quiet Place: Day One,’ unfortunately, eclipsed Kevin Costner’s western epic ‘Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1,’ which debuted at a relatively modest $11 million.
Yet, despite the success, the prequel came up short against the continued dominance of Disney and Pixar’s ‘Inside Out 2’ for the much sought-after top spot on the box office charts. The animated sequel amassed an astonishing $57.4 million in the third weekend since its release, bringing its global total to the $1 billion mark.
Among the suspense, it is uncertain whether the box office positions may be shuffled once the final numbers are released on Monday. Regardless, these successes are certain to provide a much-needed lifeline to the cinema industry, as a previously sluggish summer season begins to heat up, yet still lagging behind compared to the years prior to the pandemic.
The sequel of ‘Inside Out’,’affectionately termed as a “phenomenon” by industry insiders, has carved out an indomitable position in box office records, outperforming any film since ‘Barbie’ nearly a year prior. Within just three weeks, ‘Inside Out 2’ earned roughly $470 million domestically and $545.5 million on an international scale. A record was set by the sequel as the only film released in 2024 to cross the billion-dollar threshold in a mere 19 days, a feat none of its animated contemporaries have managed to achieve thus far.
Meanwhile, ‘A Quiet Place: Day One,’ with its PG-13 rating and direction from industry veteran Michael Sarnoski, is surging towards its own milestones. Extrapolating from the $45.5 million it garnered from international releases across 59 markets, this $67 million production has already raked in an impressive $98.5 million.
The familiarity of the ‘A Quiet Place’ franchise has a great deal to do with its financial success, in the words of Chris Aronson, the head of domestic distribution for Paramount. The strategy to expand the franchise, Aronson shared, was an answer to the fans’ requests.
Strikingly, the third installment of the franchise posted higher opening numbers than the original ‘A Quiet Place’ ($50.2 million in April 2018) and the follow-up, ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ ($47.5 million in May 2021). The horror genre isn’t known for its sequels surpassing the success of the original, but this franchise is clearly an exception, with its successive films continuing to receive positive feedback from both critics and audiences.
The film debuted across 3,708 screens in the US and Canada, with almost 40% of its domestic earnings coming from screenings on premium formats including IMAX. Backed by universally positive reviews and a fan affirmation reflected in a B+ CinemaScore and four out of five stars on PostTrak, the film certainly succeeded in its objective.
Contrarily, ‘Horizon’ encountered a slower start. Despite this, all hope may not be lost that older audiences – traditionally slower to flock to first screenings – may yet come to support the Western epic. But as poor reviews come pouring in along with a lackluster B- CinemaScore, the road ahead is rocky.
The stakes for ‘Horizon’ are undoubtedly high due to the $100 million personal finance that Kevin Costner poured into the project, partnering with Warner Bros. for distribution. The film debuted across 3,334 locations. In an ambitiously unconventional strategy, Costner plans to release ‘Chapter 2’ of the saga late this summer, on August 16, with tentative plans for releasing two further sequels.
The summer box office performance is so far characterized by a preference for the known commodities, with franchises faring better than original works. The box office top 10 portrays a rich diversity of genres, including two Indian films. It certainly points out that there’s something out there for every filmgoer.
Conclusively, the box office numbers for the weekend included ‘Inside Out 2’ at the top with $57.4 million followed by ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ with $53 million and ‘Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1’ with $11 million rounding off the top three. Final figures will be released on Monday, potentially upending the current rankings.
