Alex Garland’s “Civil War” performed strongly at the box-office on Friday, taking in a massive $10.8 million opening day and looking set to beat expectations.
Budgeted at $50 million, the film is headed for a $25-27 million domestic opening this weekend and will easily take the top spot.
It marks a big win for distributor A24 and a record opening for them. IMAX is also proving key to the film’s success, accounting for 48% of the gross.
Whilst critics have mostly loved the film, its CinemaScore of B- and PostTrak result of 76% positive suggests there’s an audience divide with concerns the film may be frontloaded. The film was also heavily male skewing at 73%.
The film has already inspired discussion about its stance, or rather its refusal to ‘pick a side’ in the conflict it portrays – sparking debate about its value in these highly politicised times.
Coming in second will be “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” with around $15 million for its third weekend. “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” will be third with $4.6 million, “Monkey Man” fourth with $4.5 million (a 56% drop), and “Kung Fu Panda 4” fifth with $4.4 million.
A bunch of smaller films opened this weekend with the Dennis Quaid-Jay Hernandez golf movie “The Long Game” debuting in eighth with $1.45 million, the spider movie “Sting” in tenth with $1.2 million, and the Nic Cage-led “Arcadian” which didn’t make the Top 10 and is tracking for $475,000.
Source: THR
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
