'Get Out' is absolutely killing at the box office
For a movie that director Jordan Peele thought would never get made, Get Out sure is off to a fine start.
The TV comic-turned-big screen filmmaker's directorial debut pulled in an estimated $30.5 million domestically this weekend. The Stepford Wives-inspired horror film about the myth of a post-racial America was propelled to success by Sundance buzz and a glowing response from critics.
After just three days in wide release, Get Out is already profitable. It picked up $10.8 million on Friday, a figure that easily blows past the reported $4.5 million budget.
The timing couldn't be better for Peele's story about a black man who travels to meet his white girlfriend's family in their quiet, so-cordial-it's-kind-of-scary upstate New York community. Something darker lurks.
The film's exploration of racism plays out against the IRL backdrop of a divided country where the more hateful elements of society are feeling emboldened by an aggressive administration in Washington. Peele's smart writing would have brought the crowds out regardless, but credit at least some of Get Out's success to the emotionally charged times we live in.
The rest of the weekend's box office chart looks familiar after that.
The Lego Batman Movie continues to hang on at #2, with an estimated $19 million at the domestic box office in its third weekend. Its cumulative U.S. take currently stands at $133 million (after current estimates), with another $72.1 million in foreign ticket sales.
Lego Batman isn't likely to catch up to The Lego Movie, the 2014 predecessor that it spins off from. The earlier film, which also opened in February, reached $130 million domestic in its second weekend and went on to earn $257.8 million in the U.S., plus an additional $211.4 million abroad.
That isn't to say Lego Batman falls short, however. The reportedly $80 million family-friendly flick is already profitable, and Warner Bros. has long had 2019 earmarked for a proper Lego Movie sequel.
The remainder of the weekend's top 5 is filled out by a trio of returning favorites: John Wick: Chapter Two ($9 million estimated); The Great Wall ($8.7 million estimated); and Fifty Shades Darker ($7.7 million estimated). That ordering could flip as estimates are finalized on Monday.
All current box office estimates are provided to Mashable by comScore and all historical data is sourced from BoxOfficeMojo.
Topics Film
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
