Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ on Pace for $67 Million Opening, Double ‘Get Out’ Debut

Peele’s latest will set new opening weekend record for original horror films

Jordan Peele Us
Universal

Universal/Monkeypaw’s “Us” is blowing by all analysts’ expectations. On the back of strong pre-release buzz and an opening day total of $29 million, Jordan Peele’s second film is estimated to gross $67 million from 3,741 screens this weekend.

If that estimate holds, not only will “Us” have doubled the opening weekend of Peele’s debut film “Get Out” ($33.3 million), it will set a new opening weekend record for original horror films, beating the $50.2 million of last year’s “A Quiet Place.” It’s also a record for any original film released in March.

The one somewhat bad note for “Us” is that while critics have been raving about the film with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95 percent, audiences aren’t quite as enthused as they were for “Get Out.” While that film earned an A on CinemaScore, “Us,” with its more opaque theming and twist ending, has received a B from opening night audiences, which is typical for what horror films tend to receive from the audience poll.

Postrak demographic data shows that Friday night’s audience was 31 percent African-American, compared to 34 percent Caucasians, 22 percent Hispanic/Latino, and 13 percent Asian/Other.

“Captain Marvel” will settle for the No. 2 spot in its third weekend, though it is still continuing its torrid pace, as it will pass the $315 million domestic total for “Thor: Ragnarok” by Sunday’s end. The Marvel movie is set to make $34.6 million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $321 million and, depending on overseas results, possibly push its global total past the $1 billion mark.

CBS Films/Lionsgate’s “Five Feet Apart” takes third place with an estimated $8.6 million, dropping 34 percent from its $13.1 million opening. Paramount’s “Wonder Park” is fourth, dropping 50 percent for a $7.8 million opening. “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” completes the top five with $6.7 million in its fifth weekend.

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