Jordan Peele is one of very few who can bring fans to theaters in droves off of his name alone. His sophomore release ‘Us,’ starring Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, has already surpassed the record of his first, wildly popular film ‘Get Out,’ earning $70.3 million in its debut weekend.
‘Get Out’ grossed $255.4 million on a $4.5 million budget back in 2017. However, ‘Us’ cost $20 million to make, so its massive opening weekend is definitely a huge deal for Peele and Universal Pictures. The new-school horror film snatched the top spot at the box office from ‘Captain Marvel,’ which only held the position for two weeks and slid to second place with $35 million in its third week.
Distribution chief for Universal, Jim Orr said, “Peele has really crafted an extraordinary story that I think once again is going to capture the cultural zeitgeist. He is recognized as just an amazing talent. He crafts films that make you think, that are extraordinarily well-acted, well-written and are amazingly entertaining.”
‘Us’ has become the largest debut for an original horror film, only in competition with the ‘It’ remake and last year’s ‘Halloween.’ It is also one of the highest openings for a live-action original film since ‘Avatar,’ 10 years ago.
Congratulations to Jordan Peele on another movie success with ‘Us’! (And if you’ve already seen the film, don’t spoil it for those who haven’t yet!)
