Box office

Peele’s biggest opening, ‘Nope,’ debuts at No. 1

Daniel Kaluuya (from left), Keke Palmer, and Brandon Perea appear in a scene from “Nope.”
(Universal Pictures via AP)
Daniel Kaluuya (from left), Keke Palmer, and Brandon Perea appear in a scene from “Nope.” (Universal Pictures via AP)

Jordan Peele's UFO thriller "Nope" topped the North American charts in its first weekend in theaters with an estimated $44 million in ticket sales, Universal Pictures said Sunday. Though it doesn't come close to the $71 million debut of "Us," it is still significantly impressive for an original, R-rated film -- and the biggest of the pandemic for an original screenplay.

Set in Southern California, "Nope" stars Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as siblings and horse ranchers who discover a flying saucer hovering ominously over their family's desert home. Also among the main cast of the sci-fi thriller are Brandon Perea, Michael Wincott and Steven Yeun.

"Nope," which opened on 3,785 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, is the most expensive film Peele has made to date with a reported $68 million production budget, not accounting for marketing and promotion costs. "Us" cost around $20 million to produce, while "Get Out" was made for only $4.5 million. Both films ultimately made over $255 million worldwide.

Critics were largely positive about "Nope," which pays homage to UFO films like "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Signs," and is currently resting at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

"It's a great number," said Jim Orr, Universal's president of domestic distribution. "It's amazing how broadly it's playing too."

"Jordan Peele crafted an incredible film," Orr added. "And it is absolutely something that should be seen on the big screen."

With "Nope," Peele has achieved a rare Hollywood hat trick: His first three feature films have debuted at No. 1 at the domestic box office.

The $44 million debut for "Nope" beat the $33 million opening by "Get Out," which starred Kaluuya as a Black man whose first meeting of his white girlfriend's family comes with an unsettling revelation.

"Us," a Lupita Nyong'o-led thriller about a family who meets bloodthirsty lookalikes, made $71 million during its first weekend in theaters.

"Get Out" and "Us" both made $255 million worldwide.

Many chose to experience "Nope" in IMAX, which accounted for about $5.2 million of its first weekend earnings.

"It's incredibly gratifying to see a visionary like Jordan Peele, who represents a new generation of filmmakers, use our technology in pioneering ways and create an experience meant to be seen in IMAX," said IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond.

Word of mouth is going to be critical in the coming weeks for "Nope," which begins its international rollout on Aug. 12.

"An opening weekend for a Jordan Peele film is not the right metric. We have to see where it is a month from now," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "'Nope' could have solid, long-term playability as the word gets out. One need only look at 'Elvis' to see that a film doesn't have to open huge to be a big success."

"Nope" knocked "Thor: Love and Thunder" to second place in its third weekend. The Disney and Marvel blockbuster starring Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman added $22.1 million, bringing its global total to $598.2 million.

Universal's "Minions: The Rise of Gru" landed in third place with $17.7 million in its fourth weekend. The animated pic has made $640.3 million globally.

The Sony-released adaptation of the bestseller "Where the Crawdads Sing," meanwhile, is enjoying a modest second weekend drop. The film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones added an estimated $10.3 million from 3,650 locations. It's now grossed $38.3 million domestically.

Paramount's "Top Gun: Maverick" rounded out the top five in its ninth weekend with an additional $10 million. Earlier this week it surpassed "The Avengers" to become ninth biggest domestic release of all time with its total now sitting at $635.6 million.

In limited release, "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" continued its expansion and made $846,950 from 590 theaters.

  photo  This image released by Universal Pictures shows Daniel Kaluuya in a scene from "Nope." (Universal Pictures via AP)
 
 
  photo  This image released by Universal Pictures shows Keke Palmer in a scene from "Nope." (Universal Pictures via AP)
 
 

Upcoming Events