In an encouraging sign for movie theaters and the film industry at large, A Quiet Place Part II scored a huge opening weekend over the Memorial Day holiday. The film, the sequel to John Krasinski’s popular horror thriller, grossed $47.4 million from Friday to Sunday, with an estimated $57 million for the full four-day weekend. That easily easily breaks the previous opening weekend record during the coronavirus pandemic, which was set back in April by Godzilla vs. KongIt earned $32.2 million in its opening weekend.

One difference between the two films, besides the generally improving vaccination rates (and decreasing infection rates) around the country, is that Godzilla vs. Kong debuted simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, while A Quiet Place Part II is an exclusive theatrical release for the next 45 days. (After that, it will be available on Paramount+.) A day-and-date release could explain why the other big title of the weekend, Disney’s Cruella, debuted with just $21.3 million over the weekend (and $26.5 million across the full holiday). While the movie, a live-action prequel to 101 Dalmatians, played in nearly 4,000 theaters around the United States, it was also available to Disney+ subscribers willing to pay a $30 “Premier Access” fee.

Here was the full box office top five for the weekend:

  1. A Quiet Place Part II - $47.4 million
  2. Cruella - $21.3 million
  3. Spiral - $2.2 million
  4. Wrath of Man - $2.1 million
  5. Raya and the Last Dragon - $2.0 million

A Quiet Place Part II’s box office numbers are especially impressive because they are very close to what the original A Quiet Place made in its opening weekend ($50.2 million) before the pandemic. The next blockbusters headed to theaters in June include The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It on June 4, In the Heights on June 11, and F9: The Fast Saga on June 25. That last title will probably be the true test of how well theaters are rebounding from the pandemic. Can it get close to the $98.7 million opening weekend The Fate of the Furious had in 2017?

Gallery — Surprising Foreign Titles For Beloved American Movies:

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