411 Box Office Report: A Quiet Place Part II Scores With $58.5 Million Four-Day Take

A Quiet Place Part II set a pandemic box office record, blasting through the competition to take #1 with a big four-day total. The sequel to the 2018 film is taking in in an projected $58.5 through Monday and $48.4 million for the three-day take through Sunday. Those are big numbers, easily eclipsing the previous pandemic record of $32.2 million that was set by Godzilla vs. Kong in April. The numbers are well above what was being predicted for it and nearly match the $60 million that people were projecting it to make over three days when it was scheduled to open in March, just before the pandemic shut down theaters.

This is big news for the box office, which has been working itself back up to some semblance of normality through the year so far. Sure, Memorial Day is normally a place for massive openings, but those are typically for superhero blockbusters. In fact, A Quiet Place Part II nearly matches the top performers of Memorial Day 2019 when Aladdin (in its second weekend) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters opened at $65.2 million and $63.1 million. We can credit this to heavy interest in the sequel thanks to the original’s great reception, bouyed by great reviews (a 91% aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes) and strong word of mouth with an A- CinemaScore.

There is really no bad news to be had here, nor any equivocation regarding the pandemic. Even with theaters still not back up to 100%, this film is delivering in a big way and is likely to encourage more people to go to theaters. It will have some direct competition next weekend in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, but that film is also hitting HBO Max so A Quiet Place should have the edge. Even if the movie drops by the typical 50% of horror movies, it is already in fantastic shape as the budget was just $17 million plus marketing. $100 million is absolutely assured and $125 million also seems likely. It has added $22 million overseas for a $70.4 million worldwide start. Paramount is very happy about this one, and will be able to translate it into further success when it hits Paramount+ in 45 days.

The #2 spot went to another strong performer as Cruella started with $21.3 million over three days and a projected $26.5 through Monday. This is also a record for the pandemic, specifically in terms of family films as it beat Tom & Jerry’s $14.1 million three-day start. You can add another $16.1 million overseas from 29 markets (60% of its footprint) for a $42.6 million worldwide start. This is another situation where Disney is sure to be happy, as even with a $100 million budget it is well-positioned to success.

How is that, you might ask? Put simply, thank Disney+’s Premier Access release of the film. The live-action origin story for the 101 Dalmations villainess released day-and-date for the $29.99 premium cost, a number that families will save money on from a trip to theaters. And the film is said to be doing good business there. Add the positive overall critical reception (72% on RT) and incredibly good word of mouth at an A CinemaScore, and this one should be able to do the good holds that we’ve been seeing during the pandemic. It’s hard to say for sure where it will end up, but $75 million domestically seems well within reach and when you add overseas numbers and Premier+ Access profit (which Disney keeps 100% of), even that expensive budget will be made up with a solid amount of black for the studio.

Down two spots from the top in its third week was Spiral, which trapped an additional $2.3 million through Sunday (down 50%). The Saw revival has now grossed $19.8 million domestically and $26.9 million worldwide. Those are well below the rest of the franchise but decent considering the pandemic, and Lionsgate will start reaping home viewings on Tuesday as it hits Digital VOD. The film had a $20 million budget and should be able to finish its domestic run around $25 million, maybe a little bit more.

Jason Statham’s Wrath of Man was down a couple of spots to #4 in its fourth weekend with $2.1 million, down a very good 29%. The revenge action thriller is posting great holds and is taking off overseas, with $22.1 million domestically and $74.3 million worldwide thus far. It has a shot at $28 million to $30 million domestically by the time it leaves theaters, numbers that United Artists will not be complaining about.

Raya and the Last Dragon remains the film that just won’t quit as it jumped 19% to gross $2 million this weekend despite shedding 15% of its theaters. The animated Disney film has been unshakable in terms of its box office legs and has grossed $50.9 million domestically, grossing nearly six times its $8.5 million opening weekend 13 weeks ago. The film has $111.5 million as well as whatever it’s brought in during its availablity via Disney+ Premier Access. It’s now looking likely to finish off around $56 million to $57 million domestically before it leaves theaters and will be a profit against its $100 million production budget with all revenue streams added in.

Godzilla vs. Kong was down 39% in its ninth weekend with $852,000. The MonsterVerse action blockbuster now stands at $98.3 million domestically and $435.9 million worldwide, a major hit against its $155 million budget. It will end its domestic run at around $100 million.

Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train slipped 36% in its sixth weekend with $840,000, bringing its totals to $44.8 million domestically and $476.6 million worldwide. The film is a big hit for Funimation, to say the least.

Racing drama Dream Horse was up a spot to #8 in its second weekend with $652,000, posting a very good drop of just 18% from its opening weekend. The equestrian racing film is now at $1.7 million and should be able to end its theatrical stretch around $3.5 million or so, perhaps a bit higher. No word on the budget.

Those Who Wish Me Dead went into freefall after a solid second weekend, dropping 72% to $545,000. The Angelina Jolie-starring action thriller has totalled $6.8 million domestically and $15.8 million worldwide, with a likely $9 million final domestic gross. It won’t make a profit off its theatrical run, but being on HBO Max day-and-date helps its standing at Warner Bros.

Mortal Kombat closed out the top 10 with $260,000, also down 72% in its sixth weekend. The video game adaptation has grossed $41.8 million domestically and $81.3 million worldwide so far against a $55 million budget. It will be a profitable film due to its HBO Max simultaneous release, with the end domestic gross to hit about $43 million or so.

While it still hasn’t opened in the US, F9: The Fast Saga is continuing to kill it overseas. The latest movie in the Fast & Furious franchise is now up to $229 million, a stellar number of which $171.7 million comes from China. The movie opens in the US on June 25th.

Next weekend sees the aforementioned release of The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which should be able to top $15 million — with the caveat that these are very difficult to predict still. The superhero thriller Samaritan and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron spinoff Spirit Untamed will also release theatrically, though both will likely have muted grosses.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. A Quiet Place Part II – $48.4 million ($48.4 million total)
2. Cruella – $21.3 million ($21.3 million total)
3. Spiral – $2.3 million ($19.8 million total)
4. Wrath of Man – $2.1 million ($22.1 million total)
5. Raya & The Last Dragon – $2 million ($50.9 million total)
6. Godzilla vs. Kong – $852,000 ($98.3 million total)
7. Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train – $840,000 ($44.8 million total)
8. Dream Horse – $652,000 ($1.7 million total)
9. Those Who Wish Me Dead – $545,000 ($6.8 million total)
10. Mortal Kombat – $260,000 ($41.8 million total)