Alex Garland’s latest film has already overtaken the likes of ‘Midsommar’, ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Ex Machina’.
The Big Picture
-
Civil War
shatters records as one of A24’s top films, making $32 million in its first week alone. - Alex Garland’s most expensive movie to date, it has achieved critical acclaim with an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.
- The film delves into strong political commentary on contemporary America, dividing audiences down the middle.
Designed as A24’s first major box office play, writer-director Alex Garland’s Civil War is living up to expectations. The dystopian action film has already cracked the studio’s all-time top 10 list in less than one week of release. At this rate, Civil War is all but certain to conclude its run as one of the biggest A24 movies of all time, if not the biggest. The movie has already set new records for the indie outfit, having delivered its biggest domestic opening day and opening weekend hauls, in both cases outperforming Ari Aster’s Hereditary.
Civil War nearly doubled the previous best, grossing $25 million in its opening weekend, as compared to the $13 million that Hereditary grossed in its first three days of release back in 2018. With $32 million in the bank so far, Civil War is already the seventh-biggest A24 movie of all time at the domestic box office, having overtaken the likes of Robert Eggers’ The Witch, Aster’s Midsommar and Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning Moonlight. Civil War has also overtaken Garland’s last two A24 releases — Men ($7.5 million domestically) and Ex Machina ($25 million domestically).
The movie currently trails only The Iron Claw, Hereditary, Talk to Me, Uncut Gems, and the number one A24 movie of all time, the multiple Oscar-winning genre mashup Everything Everywhere All at Once, which grossed $77 million domestically a couple of years ago. Civil War, which follows a group of war journalists on a cross-country journey towards Washington to cover a brewing insurrection, was produced on a reported budget of $50 million — the biggest ever for an A24 movie.
‘Civil War’ Ushers In a New Era for A24
Top 10 A24 Films |
Domestic Box Office |
---|---|
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) |
$77 million |
Uncut Gems (2019) |
$50 million |
Lady Bird (2017) |
$49 million |
Talk to Me (2023) |
$48 million |
Hereditary (2018) |
$44 million |
The Iron Claw (2023) |
$35 million |
Civil War (2024) |
$32 million |
Moonlight (2016) |
$27 million |
Midsommar (2019) |
$27 million |
Ex Machina (2015) |
$25 million |
Garland, who broke out with his screenplays for Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later and Sunshine, has emerged as one of the most respected science-fiction directors of his generation. But unlike Denis Villeneuve, he has mainly operated under tight budgets. Civil War is his most expensive movie alongside Annihilation, which was also reportedly produced for around $50 million. Civil War debuted at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival to positive reviews, and currently sits at a “fresh” 82% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Collider’s Matt Donato declared it Garland’s “best film” in his review, although Civil War has certainly divided audiences right down the center owing to its strong political commentary about contemporary America.
Next, Garland will reunite with Boyle for a trilogy of follow-ups to 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Nick Offerman, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Sonoya Mizuno, Civil War is currently playing in theaters. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Civil War
The film follows events in the U.S. during a civil war. Government forces attack civilians. Journalists are shot in the Capitol.
- Release Date
- April 12, 2024
- Director
- Alex Garland
- Cast
- Nick Offerman , Kirsten Dunst , Cailee Spaeny , Wagner Moura , Sonoya Mizuno , Jefferson White
This article was originally published on collider.com