Jordan Peele's third written and directed film Nope is projected to net a total box office opening of $44.5 million dollars, making it his third consecutive film to debut at the very top of the domestic box office, albeit at a lower stance than 2019's Us, Variety reports.
But even that doesn't make Nope a film to scoff at, as it still performed better than Peele's debut film, Get Out, which opened with $33.7 million. Plus, Nope is still a hit — coming in strong with a $6.4 million performance with Thursday's previews.
Early projections expected Nope to make between $45 million to $60 million in its opening weekend. It's coming in just slightly under those estimates, with its opening net coming from 3,785 theaters.
Us, the 2019 psychological horror film starring Lupita Nyong'o, managed to open strong, earning $71.1 million in its opening weekend; both Us and Get Out ended up totaling $255 million at the box office, a milestone still possible for Nope, given its stellar reviews and Rotten Tomatoes score of 82%.
Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun, Nope is a science fiction horror film by writer, director Jordan Peele, and it follows a group of caretakers at a California horse ranch who are pushed to the brink of survival when they encounter a mysterious alien force that affects human and animal behavior.
You can check out IGN's review of Nope linked above (which we called a "bleak, hilarious sci-fi-horror romp, and one of the most entertaining summer movies in years.") and also watch this hilarious interview, in which Jordan Peele reveals how he gave the cast of Nope a horror film quiz.
Diego Ramos Bechara is a Freelance Writer for IGN, and he's a fan of all things Star Wars, Rockstar, Naughty Dog, and Batman.
You can follow him on Twitter @DRamosBechara.