‘Us’ nearly breaks box office record on opening night
Jordan Peele’s highly-anticipated second film Us is finally in theaters, and it’s already a huge hit at the box office.
Before it’s debut, the Get Out director snagged a second, and very rare by the way, 100 percent rating with the film on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Us premiered in theaters Thursday night and earned $7.4 million. It was just $300,000 shy of breaking a record for best preview night for a horror film, with 2018’s Halloween barely beating it out.
The film surpassed preview nights of The Nun ($5.4 million) and A Quiet Place ($4.3 million). Outside of the horror realm, Us even beat out the preview nights for major Marvel films such as Thor: Dark World ($7.1 million) and Ant-Man ($6.4 million).
See how critics, fans and celebrities reacted to the opening night for Us on Twitter.
Just below Halloween, which went on to open to $76 million ?? #UsMovie https://t.co/kgzZHYbDRT
— Robby Warren (@robbywarren93) March 22, 2019
Can #UsMovie beat Avatar’s record for best original film opening for $77 million opening weekend and maybe even hit $100 million? pic.twitter.com/sGqiV2A5h9
— Matthew A. Cherry (@MatthewACherry) March 21, 2019
Here’s what I will say about #USmovie : As good as it is on its own terms, I have exactly zero doubt that seeing it in a packed theater adds that much more to it. See it early with people who are hyped to see it. As a human experience, it’ll be worth it.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) March 22, 2019
Go see Us. Im tellin u. Well done! The great one does it again @JordanPeele!! MUST see multiple times in theaters #UsMovie total mind fuck arghhhhh
Please go see this movie!
Congrats to the whole cast!
— The Chosen One (@KidCudi) March 22, 2019
I saw Us and can confidently say that my current favorite film genre is @JordanPeele movies.
— Seth Meyers (@sethmeyers) March 22, 2019
Perfect off day! Sitting in a theatre right now with 24 reserved heated recliner seats about to see #UsMovie on opening night! SUCH a fan of @JordanPeele and we cannot wait to see the vision come to life
— Cody Carson ⧖ (@CodySIO) March 22, 2019
Us stars Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther), Duke (Black Panther), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale) and Tim Heidecker (Ant-Man And The Wasp). The film later announced additional cast members. Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, Madison Curry, Cali Sheldon, Noelle Sheldon and Duke Nicholson (Jack Nicholson’s grandson) are also in the cast.
Recently, Peele opened up to Vanity Fair about the film. The director gave a bit more background information into the plot.
The idea behind Us came from when he was a student in upstate New York. Every time he got out of the midnight train, he would always imagine himself seeing his mirror image looking back at him in a tunnel.
“It was one of these nightmarish things, that creepy feeling of, ‘I’ve got to get out of here because I don’t know what is coming,’” Peele says.
When he further explored this fear, he realized that one of the scariest things for humans is a fear of ourselves. He added that the film is inspired by some of his favorite horror films, but changes the main characters for the audience to see something they’ve never seen before.
“I want to see a black family on the beach, goddamnit!” he says. “I want to see a black family buy a boat. That happens. And we’ve never seen it.”
See Us in theaters now.
What do you think of Us if you’ve seen it? Sound off in the comments below!
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