Jordan Peele continues to defy industry standards.
The filmmaker’s latest project just closed its first weekend in the United States with an estimated $44 million in ticket sales, Time reports. What’s more, “Nope” — which is Peele’s most expensive film to date — has now become “the biggest of the pandemic for an original screenplay.”
Peele seems to only be in competition with himself with “Nope” as his movie “Us,” which came out more than three years ago, had a $71 million debut.
The latest film stars Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya, who also played the lead in Peele’s critically acclaimed “Get Out.”
Numbers Don't Lie
“It’s a great number,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “It’s amazing how broadly it’s playing too.”
The film made its debut in both the U.S. and Canadian box offices over the past weekend and got off to a really strong start, raking in $6.4 million from Thursday previews alone. By Friday, it had hit $19.3 million in revenue.
According to reports, the opening audience’s ages ranged between 18 and 34, which is referred to as the “sweet spot” for the horror film genre.
About $5.2 million of its first weekend earnings stemmed from moviegoers who chose to experience the film in IMAX.
Another Jordan Peele Victory
Peele’s latest film had a reported $68 million production budget. However, the amount does not include marketing and promotional costs.
His “Get Out” film was made with a budget of $4.5 million and “Us” cost roughly $20 million to produce. Together, both films made more than $255 million worldwide.”
With “Nope” already at $44 million in its first weekend, it probably won’t be long before the project surpasses its production budget.
Its international rollout is set to begin on Aug. 12.
