Much as the Abbott family outwitted alien beasts with an acute sense of hearing, A Quiet Place Part II has conquered American moviegoers’ fears of returning to theaters as the pandemic subsides. The John Krasinski-directed PG-13 horror flick starring his real-life partner Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, and Djimon Hounsou crossed $100 million in domestic ticket sales this weekend, the first film to reach this post since the pandemic began. Though the film itself is mostly at a whisper-level, it’s shouting: “the movies are back!”
With vaccination rates up and new COVID-19 cases down, movie lovers are realizing there are more things in heaven and Earth than what’s available on streaming. Unlike recent releases by Warner Bros. and Disney, whose theatrical offerings are also available to streaming subscribers (HBO Max for Warner Bros. and Disney +, with a $30 premium for most titles), Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II is a get-off-your-butt exclusive, much to the relief of workers, execs, and shareholders of wounded theater chains.
Offering some perspective on these unusual days, industry analyst Paul Dergarabedian told the Hollywood Reporter, “if we jumped into a time machine and went back a year, the once-commonplace milestone of crossing $100 million dollars almost overnight became a pipe dream for the beleaguered movie theater industry.”
THR predicts that Godzilla Vs. Kong will also hit the $100 million mark by the end of the weekend. (Technically, they predict $99.8 million, but if you want to be the one to tell that big ape he came up short, be my guest.) That film, however, has been out for three months, as opposed to AQPP2’s three weeks.
It is also worth considering that many states still require social-distancing regulations in theater auditoriums, thus reducing the number of potential tickets sold.
The success of the Krasinski picture does do a bit to spoil the highly-anticipated In The Heights from director Jon M. Chu and Broadway sensation Lin-Manuel Miranda. Though the final tally for its first weekend isn’t complete, it is expected to bring in $13 million, lower than the predicted $20 million.
Not that everything has to be a competition, man! If that’s your thinking, maybe, if you’re safely able to do so, it’s time to leave the house and clear your head. Go to the movies!
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