Just as “M3GAN” gracefully shared the stage with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” Sarnoski’s “A Quiet Place: Day One” paired nicely with this summer’s big animated family hit: “Inside Out 2.” Pixar’s latest looks set to hold on to its No. 1 spot and add another $60 million to its domestic total over the weekend. At last count its global tally was $863 million, surpassing the original movie (per Deadline), and hitting the billion-dollar mark now looks like a foregone conclusion. This kind of counter-programming is great for exhibitors, as family groups and horror fans alike are simultaneously drawn to theaters. The business will be very welcome after a rough start to the year.
There’s also a fresh offering for yeehaw connoisseurs, in the form of “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1.” The first installment of a passion project directed (and largely financed) by Kevin Costner is on track to gross $12-13 million in its opening weekend, which is almost on par with Costner’s 2004 movie “Open Range” ($14 million), but only if you don’t take 20 years of inflation into account.
With a substantial budget in the broad range of $50-100 million, the first “Horizon” movie is looking likely to be a box office dud. As far as Costner’s concerned, though, he’s already won. “Would I love that it would be highly, highly successful?” he posited to Entertainment Weekly. “Of course, I’d like that. My ego would like that; everyone would like that. But I am happiest that the movie that you and I are talking about looks the way I want it to look.”