Civil War Box Office Looks Like A24 Has An Unexpected Hit On Their Hands

Even A24’s slightly less-hopeful projections for Civil War still beat Hereditary, as the studio is projecting a $15 to $20 million take.

This is definitely good news for the ambitious project, considering it’s the most expensive A24 film yet. Alex Garland’s too-close-to-home dystopian tale has a sizable budget of $50 million.

A24 films are known for being high-quality, critically acclaimed projects that are made on indie budgets, allowing them to perform big at the box office. While Civil War’s $50 million is relatively small compared to the MCU and DC films of the world, it’s still a big chance for the company. Currently, the studio’s highest-grossing film is the Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, which was made on a $25 million budget – half of Civil War’s.

The good news is that Civil War has been getting great early reviews. The film is set in a near-future United States that has been divided into factions and is devastated by an ongoing Civil War.

Kirsten Dunst stars as a wartime journalist who makes her way across the states to get an interview with the current three-term President (Nick Offerman). Other cast members include Jesse Plemons, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, and Stephen McKinley Henderson.

While early reviews say that Civil War somehow manages to avoid being overtly political, despite the loaded subject matter, the film still comes during an election year.

The intersection of the film’s topic and the ongoing political divide in the US could certainly boost the film’s overall box office take as well. In any case, the film definitely seems to be gearing up to be one of A24’s biggest hits yet, especially if the audiences enjoy it as much as the critics have been.

Civil War will be Garland’s third directorial effort for A24, and the relationship between the two has been solid so far. Garland made his directorial debut, Ex Machina, with the company. The film was met with critical acclaim and was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Garland and Best Visual Effects, winning the latter.

Garland’s second directorial effort with A24 was the more divisive Men, which was met with generally positive reviews and a box office take of $11.2 million.

Which means that Civil War is already projected to double the total global box office haul of his previous film in the domestic opening weekend alone.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film is expected to do well overseas, so there’s little doubt this will be one of Garland’s most financially successful films yet.

Alex Garland’s Civil War also has timing on its side, as there aren’t any major tentpole blockbusters coming out in April.

But, the following weekend will see the release of Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Gentlemanly Warfare and the horror film Abigail, which could take some of the film’s second-weekend steam. You can catch Civil War when it hits theaters on April 12.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter