Get Out! Jordan Peele's 'Us' shatters records with $70.3m
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Jordan Peele has done it again. Two years after the filmmaker's "Get Out" became a box-office sensation, his frightening follow-up, "Us," debuted with 70.3 million U.S. dollars in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The opening, well above forecasts, had few parallels. It was the largest debut for an original horror film (only the "It" remake and last year's "Halloween" have surpassed it in the genre) and one of the highest openings for a live-action original film since "Avatar" was released 10 years ago.
"Peele has really crafted an extraordinary story that I think once again is going to capture the cultural zeitgeist," said Jim Orr, distribution chief for Universal. "He is recognized as just an amazing talent. He crafts films that make you think, that are extraordinarily well-acted, well-written and are amazingly entertaining."
"Us" took over the top spot at the box office from "Captain Marvel," which had reigned for two weeks. The Marvel Studios superhero release slid to second place with 35 million U.S. dollars in its third week. 
 (L-R) Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, and Danai Gurira attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, California, March 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

 (L-R) Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, and Danai Gurira attend the 90th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, California, March 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

Although there were some holdovers, the weekend belonged overwhelming to "Us," which more than doubled the 33.4 million U.S. dollars U.S. debut of 2017′s Oscar-winning "Get Out." The former "Key & Peele" star's first film as writer-director, "Get Out" ultimately grossed 255.4 million U.S. dollars on a 4.5 million U.S. dollars budget.
"Us" cost 20 million U.S. dollars to make, meaning it's already a huge hit for Peele and Universal Pictures, which notched its third No. 1 release of the year following "Glass" and "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World." 
It's also, as Peele has said, more thoroughly a horror film. While "Us" has drawn very good reviews (94 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it a relatively low "B" CinemaScore. 
Jordan Peele (C) accepts Best Feature for "Get Out" during the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, March 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

Jordan Peele (C) accepts Best Feature for "Get Out" during the 2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, March 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

While "Us" was propelled by a number of things, including Nyong'o and buzz out of its SXSW premiere, the main selling point was Peele. The 40-year-old director already has an imprimatur matched only by veteran filmmakers like Clint Eastwood.
"It's really difficult for a director to become a superstar whose name gets people in theater, and Jordan Peele has done just that," said Paul Dergarabedian. "He's a superstar director with a brand all his own, and that's with two feature films under his belt. That's pretty astonishing. That just doesn't happen."
The weekend followed an especially tumultuous week in Hollywood. On Monday, Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara stepped down following a sex scandal. On Wednesday, the Walt Disney Co. completed its 71.3 billion U.S. dollars acquisition of 21st Century Fox.
(Top Photo: Director Jordan Peele (L) and cast members Lupita Nyong'o, Evan Alex, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Winston Duke attend the "Us" premiere at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York, U.S., March 19, 2019. /Reuters Photo)
Source(s): AP