Jordan Peele has five on the box office this weekend, plus a few extra zero’s. His new film Us added to 2019’s mammoth March, which helped make this the third straight weekend to outperform the same weekend a year ago.
Us slashed the competition and expectations at the box office this weekend, taking in a little more than $71 million over the three days. That may not sound like much if you are used to seeing numbers like Captain Marvel‘s $155 opening weekend headlining movie news sites. However, it’s a big deal. Let’s go over some of the mind-blowing stats that make it so:
- Us just had the second-largest opening weekend ever for a live-action original film, behind only James Cameron’s Avatar (over $77 million).
- According to Box Office Mojo, Us made up roughly 49.6% of all tickets sold to the top twelve films.
- Us now boasts the third-best debut for an R-rated horror film. Halloween (2018), which opened with $76.2, and IT, which scared up an outstanding $123 million in just its first three days.
- Jordan Peele has outdone himself considerably. Get Out, which was a phenomenal success, opened back in 2017 to $33.3 million. Us more than doubled that.
- Us has already broken into the green. The film’s production budget is listed as a minuscule $20 million. Typically that number needs to be tripled to find the studio’s break-even point (in order to account for marketing, the theaters’ cut and other expenses).
Internationally, Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort took in an additional $16.7 million, which was led by a $3.67 million start across the pond in the UK. That brings the worldwide gross for Us just shy of $94 million in just three days’ time.
Captain Marvel dropped a -48.5% on its way to a $34 million third weekend. Domestically alone, the 21st film from Marvel Studios now stands at $321 million. It’s already the tenth largest domestic MCU release and places it just outside the top 20 superhero films of all time.
Worldwide, Captain Marvel has quickly topped $910 million and ranks as the seventh largest global release in the MCU. Soon, it will become the seventh film in the franchise to top $1 billion globally.
In third place is Paramount’s Wonder Park fell -43%, delivering $8.7 million in its second frame. The global score for the animated family fare currently sits at $40.2 million. That is a huge loss for a film that reportedly cost Paramount $120 to make.
The number four slot is Lionsgate’s young adult drama Five Feet Apart, which only dropped -35% in its second weekend with an $8.5 million take. The film expanded to many international markets this weekend where it saw an additional $6.2 million. Worldwide, the small indie film has grossed over $33 million.
Still hanging out in and rounding out the top five is DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, which grabbed $6.5 million more as it closes in on $150 million domestically. The film’s current $488 million worldwide total will soon top the original’s $494 million global haul.
What do you make of how Us performed this weekend? Are you at all surprised by the film’s major success? Anything else strike you this weekend you feel should be pointed out? Hit me up in the comments below and let me know what you think!
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