‘A Quiet Place’ prequel box office speaks volumes as Costner’s Western gets a bumpy start

“ A Quiet Place: Day One ” is making noise at the box office. The prequel earned an estimated $53 million in its first weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It’s both a franchise best and significantly more than expected. Going into the weekend, prerelease tracking had “Day One” pegged for a $40 million debut, but audiences were clearly more enthusiastic to see the action-horror starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn and released by Paramount. The same could not be said for Kevin Costner’s “ Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1,” which opened to $11 million.

The ”Quiet Place” victory wasn’t quite enough to snag the coveted first place spot on the charts, though. That honor again went to Disney and Pixar’s juggernaut “ Inside Out 2,” which added an estimated $57.4 million in its third weekend in theaters, and crossed $1 billion globally.

There's a distant possibility that the places will shift when actuals are released Monday. But either way it’s good news for movie theaters in a summer season that’s finally heating up but still running far behind last year (down 19%) and pre-pandemic norms (down 36% from 2019).

“Inside Out 2” continues to be a box office phenomenon, the likes of which the industry hasn’t seen since “Barbie” almost a year ago. In just three weeks of release, it's earned nearly $470 million in North America and $545.5 million internationally, bringing its global total to $1.01 billion. The sequel is the only 2024 release to cross the billion dollar mark and it did it in just 19 days, a record for an animated film.

“The film’s stunning global success once again illustrates that audiences the world over will respond to compelling, entertaining movies, and that they want to enjoy them on the big screen,” said Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, in a statement.

“A Quiet Place: Day One,” directed by Michael Sarnoski and rated PG-13, is also fast approaching an important threshold out of the gates. Including the $45.5 million from international showings in 59 markets, the $67 million production has already made $98.5 million.

“There's a lot of love for the ‘A Quiet Place’ franchise,” said Chris Aronson, the head of domestic distribution for Paramount. “We listened to the fans who wanted to expand the universe.”

In a rare feat for a third film, it opened higher than both “A Quiet Place” ($50.2 million opening in April 2018) and “ A Quiet Place: Part II ” ($47.5 million opening in May 2021). John Krasinski, who wrote and directed the first two, continued serving as a producer.

“It’s one of those rare horror franchises that has generated incredible goodwill with audiences and critics alike,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore.

Playing on 3,708 screens in the U.S. and Canada, nearly 40% of its domestic earnings came from “premium screens” including IMAX and other large formats. It entered the marketplace with mostly positive reviews (84% on Rotten Tomatoes); Audiences gave it a B+ CinemaScore and four out of five stars on PostTrak.

“We put together a compelling package but also I think it shows people want to go to the movies,” Aronson said. “The marketplace really works when there are choices and there’s something for everybody.”

The start for “Horizon,” meanwhile, was sluggish. Though older audiences, the ones most likely to support a Western epic, don’t typically rush out to see films on opening weekend the way people often do for horrors and superheroes, the road ahead will not be easy: Reviews have not been great and it got an underwhelming B- CinemaScore.

The stakes are also a little different for “Horizon,” a $100 million production that Costner financed on his own and partnered with Warner Bros. to distribute. It opened in 3,334 locations. A decades-old passion project, he mortgaged property in Santa Barbara, Calif. to finance it and exited “Yellowstone” to see it through. In a bold, unconventional strategy, “Chapter 2” arrives in theaters later this summer, on Aug. 16. He also has plans for two more movies.

“The western genre is one of those that is very specific,” Dergarabedian said. “It’s going to be about the long game.”

A quick glance at the top 10 shows that audiences are largely favoring franchises and “known commodities” over originals. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” was right behind “Horizon” on the charts, and it's been in theaters for four weeks already.

“Audiences in the summer want the tried and true, they want the familiar,” Dergarabedian said.

He was also struck by the diversity of genres in the top 10, including two Indian films: The Telugu language sci-fi “Kalki 2898 AD” in fifth place with $5.4 million and the Punjabi language “Jatt & Juliet 3” in ninth place with $1.5 million.

"If you can’t find something that appeals to you at the multiplex right now, you’re not looking hard enough," Dergarabedian said.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Inside Out 2,” $57.4 million.

2. “A Quiet Place: Day One,” $53 million.

3. “Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1,” $11 million.

4. “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” $10.3 million.

5. “Kalki 2898 AD,” $5.4 million.

6. “The Bikeriders,” $3.3 million.

7. “The Garfield Movie,” $2 million.

8. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” $168.1 million.

9. “Jatt & Juliet 3,” $1.5 million.

10. “Kinds of Kindness,” $1.5 million.

Kevin Costner, the director, co-writer and star of "Horizon: An American Saga," poses at the premiere of the film at the Regency Village Theatre, Monday, July 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Kevin Costner, the director, co-writer and star of "Horizon: An American Saga," arrives at the premiere of the film at the Regency Village Theatre, Monday, July 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Jamie Campbell Bower, left, and Kevin Costner in a scene from "Horizon: An American Saga-Chapter I." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Kevin Costner in a scene from "Horizon: An American Saga-Chapter I." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

John Krasinski, from left, Michael Sarnoski, Djimon Hounsou, Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn and Alex Wolff attend the Paramount Pictures premiere of "A Quiet Place: Day One" at AMC Lincoln Square on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Lupita Nyong'o, left, and Joseph Quinn attend the Paramount Pictures premiere of "A Quiet Place: Day One" at AMC Lincoln Square on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Lupita Nyong'o attends the Paramount Pictures premiere of "A Quiet Place: Day One" at AMC Lincoln Square on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Joseph Quinn, left, and Lupita Nyong'o in a scene from "A Quiet Place: Day One." (Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures via AP)

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Lupita Nyong'o in a scene from "A Quiet Place: Day One." (Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures via AP)

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — A stampede among thousands of people at a religious gathering in northern India killed at least 60 and left scores injured, officials said Tuesday, adding the toll could rise.

Attendees had rushed to leave the makeshift tent following an event with Hindu figure Bhole Baba, local media reported. Video of the aftermath showed the structure appeared to have collapsed. Women wailed over the dead.

Deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas with shoddy infrastructure and few safety measures.

Police officer Rajesh Singh said overcrowding may have been a factor in the stampede in a village in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh state, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) southwest of the state capital, Lucknow.

Initial reports suggested that over 15,000 people had gathered for the event, which had permission to host about 5,000.

“People started falling one upon another, one upon another. Those who were crushed died. People there pulled them out,” witness Shakuntala Devi told the Press Trust of India news agency.

Bodies were brought to hospitals and morgues by trucks and private vehicles, government official Matadin Saroj said. Government official Ashish Kumar told The Associated Press that at least 60 had reached mortuaries in the district.

More than 150 people were admitted to hospitals, medical official Umesh Tripathi said.

Uttar Pradesh's chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, called the stampede "extremely sad and heart-wrenching” in a post on social media platform X. He said authorities were investigating the cause.

In 2013, pilgrims visiting a temple for a popular Hindu festival in central Madhya Pradesh state trampled each other amid fears that a bridge would collapse. At least 115 were crushed to death or died in the river.

In 2011, more than 100 Hindu devotees died in a crush at a religious festival in the southern state of Kerala.

Women mourn next to the body of a relative outside the Sikandrarao hospital in Hathras district about 350 kilometers (217 miles) southwest of Lucknow, India, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. At least 60 people are dead and scores are injured after a stampede at a religious gathering of thousands of people in northern India, officials said Tuesday.(AP Photo/Manoj Aligadi)