Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Monday 9 april 2018
'A Quiet Place' roars at box office with $50M debut

AP Film Writer ready grossed $294.4 mil-
NEW YORK (AP) — John lion. It’s done especially
Krasinski's "A Quiet Place" well in China, where the
made a thunderous debut film has made $161.3 mil-
at the box office, open- lion in two weeks.
ing with $50 million in ticket Continuing ticket sales also
sales and rumbling to the pushed Ryan Coogler’s
year's second-best week- “Black Panther” further into
end after "Black Panther," the record books. The Mar-
according to studio esti- vel blockbuster now ranks
mates Sunday. third all-time domestically
The Paramount Pictures with $665.4 million, trailing
thriller far exceeded ex- only “Avatar” and “Star
pectations to land one of Wars: The Force Awakens.”
the top opening weekends Over the weekend, “Black
for a horror release. It marks Panther” passed 1997’s
an unlikely breakthrough “Titanic,” which grossed
for Krasinski, the former $659.4 million, though ac-
"Office" star many associ- counting for inflation would
ate more with inter-office put it above $1 billion.
romance and deadpan John Curran’s “Chappa-
expressions than silent cin- quiddick,” about the 1969
ematic frights. Ted Kennedy scandal,
Krasinski's third directing ef- This image released by Paramount Pictures shows John Krasinski, left, and Noah Jupe in a scene opened with $6.2 million
fort, which stars himself and from "A Quiet Place." in 1,560 theaters. The film,
wife Emily Blunt is about a Associated Press starring Jason Clarke as
family in a future dystopia Kennedy, was acquired by
populated by violent crea- ture "Ready Player One" dip Really Here" and Andrew pany. Byron Allen’s Entertainment
tures with extremely acute only 40 percent with $25.1 Haigh's "Lean on Pete" all Though greenlit under the Studios at last fall’s Toronto
hearing. million in its second week- did well, too. previous leadership, "A International Film Festival.
But it was far from the only end and the period docu- For one weekend, at least, Quiet Place" is the first ma- Originally planned for an
success story on the week- drama "Chappaquiddick" just about everything Holly- jor success under Jim Gia- awards season release, the
end, which also saw Uni- beat expectations with a wood could throw at mov- nopulos, who took over as move to spring seemed to
versal's R-rated comedy debut of $6.2 million. In lim- iegoers worked. The week- studio head a year ago. give “Chappaquiddick”
"Blockers" open solidly with ited release, Wes Ander- end was up 35.3 percent The opening is Paramount's a better chance to stand
$21.4 million, Steven Spiel- son's "Isle of Dogs," Lynne from last year. biggest since 2016's "Star out.
berg's virtual-reality adven- Ramsay's "You Were Never But nothing approached Trek Beyond" and its best In its third weekend, Fox
the runaway success of "A non-franchise opening Searchlight’s “Isle of Dogs”
Quiet Place." Hollywood since 2013's "World War Z." grossed $4.6 million in 554
had forecast closer to $30 "Blockers" also heralds a theaters. LD Entertain-
million for the film, which filmmaking breakthrough ment’s “The Miracle Sea-
cost just $17 million to aided by an enthusiastic son,” about an inspira-
make. Yet "A Quiet Place" response from SXSW audi- tional season for a girls’
rode strong buzz from its ences. The film, which cost high-school volleyball
SXSW premiere in March, about $21 million to make, team, opened with $4.1
good reviews (97 percent is the directorial debut million.
fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) of Kay Cannon, a writer With one of the best per-
and moviegoers' continu- whose credits include "30 theater performances of
ing thirst for horror. Rock" and "Pitch Perfect." the year, Amazon’s “You
"We always knew we had ''Blockers," starring Leslie Were Never Really Here,”
something special from Mann, John Cena and Ike starring Joaquin Phoenix,
the first screenings. But you Barinholtz as parents trying opened with $129,911 in
don't get to a number like to prevent their daugh- three theaters. A24’s “Lean
this without breaking free ters from losing their virgin- on Pete,” with Charlie Plum-
of the genre. I think this is ity, shrugged off a recent mer, debuted with $50,118
about great storytelling," slump for comedies in the- on four screens.
said Kyle Davies, head of aters. “Everyone kind of won this
domestic distribution for "Kay Cannon knocked it out weekend,” said Paul Der-
Paramount, who heaped of the park," said Jim Orr, garabedian, senior me-
praise on Krasinski. "We're distribution head for Univer- dia analyst for comScore.
looking forward to what sal, who credited Cannon “This is the kind of weekend
else he has up his sleeve." with inverting the "double that Hollywood should try
"A Quiet Place" is also a standards" of the teen sex to recreate over and over
badly needed hit for Para- comedy. "We could not be again. The diversity of the
mount, which has struggled more pleased." lineup and the originality of
mightily at the box office in Despite the competition, the films drove huge num-
recent years while its own- Warner Bros.’ “Ready Play- bers of moviegoers to the
ership has sometimes been er One” held well, bringing multiplex.”
in limbo. Earlier this week, its domestic total to $96.9 Estimated ticket sales for Fri-
CBS Corp. submitted a bid million. But it’s fared even day through Sunday at U.S.
to acquire Viacom Inc., better overseas, where and Canadian theaters,
Paramount's parent com- Spielberg’s latest has al- according to comScore.q