Last week Ready Player One easily topped the box office but I don’t think anyone really predicted that the Steven Spielberg tentpole picture would likely give up its number one spot after one week to a quiet little horror film.
When A Quiet Place debuted at SXSW it made a huge splash with universal praise. The film carried a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes after the event (it has since dropped ever so slightly to 99% as of this writing) and the buzz began to swell as we headed towards this weekend’s release date. Sometimes huge critic support for horror films can be divisive with the general moviegoing public but it seems like critics and moviegoers could be on the same page here and that could lead to a solid opening for the critically acclaimed genre film.
The film directed by and starring John Krasinski alongside wife Emily Blunt follows a family on a rural farm who are forced to live a life of silence due to a looming vicious threat around them. Working in its favor, along with the buzz, is that the film carries a PG-13 rating and horror is huge with the young adult crowd. Throw in the good reviews and that brings in more adult viewers who are seeking visceral thrills with substance. I think this one is destined to breakout and will dethrone Ready Player One with a gross of $30 million and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if it surged a bit higher.
Oddly enough another film that made waves at SXSW is opening this weekend and it’s going to do solid business as well. Blockers stars Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz as parents who launch a covert mission on prom night to stop their teenage kids from having sex. The film has also received glowing reviews with an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing and 2018 was kind to another R-rated comedy with solid reviews. Game Night opened a few weeks ago to $17 million and has turned that into solid word of mouth with a gross of $65.3 million to date. I actually think Blockers will debut higher and could see a similar word of mouth if audiences respond to it. I’m predicting about $25 million for the weekend.
As for last week’s number one film, Ready Player One is going to be in a tight fight with Blockers for number two this weekend. It really all depends on the drop for Ready Player One and if Blockers overperforms. It’s going to be pretty close but I’m going to give Blockers the slight edge and say Ready Player One hits $24 million for the weekend.
Check back on Monday for the full box office results.
