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 After a brutal year and change
for the movie theater business, the North
American box office is finally showing signs of
life again.
That's mostly thanks to John Krasinski's
post-apocalyptic thriller "A Quiet Place Part
II." The sequel collected a roaring $48 million
between Friday and Sunday, exceeding
expectations and posting the biggest three-day
haul of the pandemic era. The Paramount Pictures
film, currently playing in 3,726 venues, is
expected to generate a sizable $58 million
through Memorial Day on Monday.
Those ticket sales are significant because it's
not far off from what the movie was projected to
make prior to the pandemic. (The sequel was
originally set to release in March of 2020, and,
well, we all know what happened then.) The
original "A Quiet Place" opened to $50 million
in 2018, a huge result for a movie that's not
based on existing IP. The studio's decision to
hold the follow-up film until theaters reopened
to a significant degree proved to be prudent.
"This is an outstanding opening," says David A.
Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm
Franchise Entertainment Research. "[It's] well
above average for a horror sequel." He adds that
"A Quiet Place Part II" could have debuted to
$60 million if all U.S. theaters had reopen.
"Still," Gross says, "this movie is going to
make a lot of money and bring enormous value to
streaming."
"A Quiet Place Part II," which sees the return
of Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe
as a family forced to live in near-silence, has
the benefit of getting an exclusive theatrical
release. It will move to Paramount Plus, the
streaming service owned by its parent company
ViacomCBS, in 45 days. Recent releases,
including the Warner Bros. and Legendary
tentpole "Godzilla vs. Kong" and Disney's "Raya
and the Last Dragon," premiered simultaneously
on digital platforms. Despite its hybrid rollout
on HBO Max, "Godzilla vs. Kong" previously
boasted the best start since COVID-19 hit with
$32 million for the three-day weekend and $48
million in its first five days on the big
screen.
"A Quiet Place Part II" did exceptionally well
on premium formats, like Imax. Of its $58
million four-day weekend bounty, a (pandemic)
record $5 million came from Imax screens.
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 As Imax CEO Rich Gelfod put it:
"'A Quiet Place Part II' is the first domestic
release this year to cross the threshold from
'great opening weekend given the pandemic' to
'great opening weekend, period' -- offering
undeniable proof that the domestic box office is
back." He continued, "The film's stellar results
give the box office a strong jolt of momentum
heading into the summer, and the many
blockbusters that held out for an exclusive
theatrical release stand to benefit."
This weekend's other major release, Disney's
live-action "Cruella" starring Emma Stone,
pulled in promising numbers for a movie that's
currently playing in homes. (It's available to
rent on Disney Plus for $30.) The movie, a punk
rock origin story about the infamous
puppy-hating "101 Dalmatians" villain, is
estimated to bring in $21.3 million from 3,892
theaters over the three-day weekend and $26.5
million through Monday.
Internationally, "Cruella" has posted $16.1
million from 29 overseas countries. That brings
its total earnings to $37.4 million globally,
with projections of $42.6 million through
Memorial Day.
Over Memorial Day weekend, one of the most
popular times of year to visit the movies,
overall revenues in the U.S. will be above $100
million for the first time in more than a year,
according to Comscore. Around 75% of U.S.
theaters have reopened, with many locations
still facing capacity restrictions.
Elsewhere at the domestic box office, the horror
film "Spiral" -- starring Chris Rock and Samuel
L. Jackson -- slid to third place in its third
weekend of release. The chilling installment in
the gruesome "Saw" franchise added another $2.1
million, taking its U.S. tally to $20 million.
Jason Statham's "Wrath of Man" landed in fourth
place with $2 million. After a month in
theaters, the vigilante action adventure has
grossed $22.7 million.
"Raya and the Last Dragon" rounded out the top
five on box office charts. The family friendly
cartoon made $1.9 million in its 13th weekend of
release. The PG film, which has been offered on
Disney Plus Premier Access, has amassed $51
million to date.
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