Alex Garland91Ƶs provocative 91Ƶ Civil War 91Ƶ didn91Ƶt only ignite the discourse. The film also inspired audiences to go to the cinemas this weekend where it surpassed expectations and earned $25.7 million in ticket sales in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.
It91Ƶs the biggest R-rated opening of the year to date and a record for A24, the studio behind films like 91ƵEverything Everywhere All At Once91Ƶ and 91ƵThe Iron Claw.91Ƶ 91ƵCivil War91Ƶ also unseated 91ƵGodzilla x Kong 91Ƶ from its perch atop the box office. The titan movie from Warner Bros. had held the No. 1 spot for the past two weekends.
91ƵCivil War,91Ƶ starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny as a front-line journalists in a near future covering a devastating conflict in the U.S. and trying to make their way to Washington, D.C. The story, written by Garland, who is also the mind behind 91ƵEx Machina91Ƶ and 91ƵAnnihilation,91Ƶ imagines a U.S. in which California and Texas have united against a president who has disbanded the FBI and given himself a third term.
Though entirely fictional, 91ƵCivil War91Ƶ has been inspiring debates since the first trailer that have extended beyond the musings of film critics and traditional reviews. This weekend, The New York Times ran two opinion pieces related to the movie, one by Stephen Marche and another by Michelle Goldberg. There were also pieces on CNN and Politico.
Going into the weekend, projections pegged the film to debut in the $15 to $24 million range. The film opened on 3,838 screens in the U.S. and Canada, including IMAX. It91Ƶs the most expensive movie that the studio has ever made, with a production budget of $50 million, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.
Before 91ƵCivil War,91Ƶ A2491Ƶs biggest debut was the Ari Aster horror 91ƵHereditary,91Ƶ which opened to $13.6 million in 2018. A24 doesn91Ƶt always open films nationwide out of the gates. The studio said 91ƵCivil War91Ƶ overperformed in markets 91Ƶfrom LA to El Paso.91Ƶ
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Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press