While there were concerns it could be a divisive topic, Alex Garland's explosive, nervy Civil War is so far proving to be a big hit in Stateside cinemas, and the writer/director's latest has opened way ahead of expectations. Per Variety, the film, which had been predicted to fall somewhere in the $15-$20 million range, is now on course to earn more than $25 million for its first weekend.
The film, which stars Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Maura, Jesse Plemons and Nick Offerman, is enjoying healthy business on regular screens and IMAX, and is already both Garland and distributor A24's most successful film to date. And it needed to be, since it has the biggest budget of a movie by the company, which also spent a considerable amount marketing.
A healthy advance total pointed to good things for the movie, which, despite a B- CinemaScore from viewers, is clearly connecting, becoming the first A24 film to land atop the box office and the best start for an R-rated release this year.
It pushed current champ Godzilla X Kong to second place, and while it seems unlikely to stay too long at the top, it's a big win for a film that wasn't necessarily predicted to do as well as it has.