Alex GarlandB次元官网网址檚 provocative B次元官网网址� Civil War B次元官网网址� didnB次元官网网址檛 only ignite the discourse. The film also inspired audiences to go to the cinemas this weekend where it surpassed expectations and earned $25.7 million in ticket sales in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

ItB次元官网网址檚 the biggest R-rated opening of the year to date and a record for A24, the studio behind films like B次元官网网址淓verything Everywhere All At OnceB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淭he Iron Claw.B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淐ivil WarB次元官网网址� also unseated B次元官网网址淕odzilla x Kong B次元官网网址� from its perch atop the box office. The titan movie from Warner Bros. had held the No. 1 spot for the past two weekends.

B次元官网网址淐ivil War,B次元官网网址� starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny as a front-line journalists in a near future covering a devastating conflict in the U.S. and trying to make their way to Washington, D.C. The story, written by Garland, who is also the mind behind B次元官网网址淓x MachinaB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淎nnihilation,B次元官网网址� imagines a U.S. in which California and Texas have united against a president who has disbanded the FBI and given himself a third term.

Though entirely fictional, B次元官网网址淐ivil WarB次元官网网址� has been inspiring debates since the first trailer that have extended beyond the musings of film critics and traditional reviews. This weekend, The New York Times ran two opinion pieces related to the movie, one by Stephen Marche and another by Michelle Goldberg. There were also pieces on CNN and Politico.

Going into the weekend, projections pegged the film to debut in the $15 to $24 million range. The film opened on 3,838 screens in the U.S. and Canada, including IMAX. ItB次元官网网址檚 the most expensive movie that the studio has ever made, with a production budget of $50 million, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.

Before B次元官网网址淐ivil War,B次元官网网址� A24B次元官网网址檚 biggest debut was the Ari Aster horror B次元官网网址淗ereditary,B次元官网网址� which opened to $13.6 million in 2018. A24 doesnB次元官网网址檛 always open films nationwide out of the gates. The studio said B次元官网网址淐ivil WarB次元官网网址� overperformed in markets B次元官网网址渇rom LA to El Paso.B次元官网网址�

READ ALSO:

Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press