Who says Lightning can't strike twice, and on the same Hollywood studio lot?
On Thursday, writer-director Zach Cregger 's Gun became the second R-rated original pic of the year to hit the $100 million domestic benchmark, following Ryan Coogler's Bloodlines at a time when the overall genre was under siege. And it's a triple win vs. horror for Warner Bros.' Film Empire, led by Michael de Luca and Pamela Abdy. The major studio made Bloodlines , while New Line is the home of Gun and the R-rated Final Destination: Bloodline franchise reboot, which surprised many by grossing over $385 million at the early summer box office . Like Bloodlines like this, Gun isn't neglected overseas, leading to a worldwide tally of $170 million or thereabouts.
Gun reached the $100 million North American mark in its 14th day of release, compared to nine days for Sinners , which opened to $48 million in April. Thanks to winning over critics and audiences, director Cregger's boisterous film reached more than $10 million ahead of expectations by winning over the weekend of August 8-10 with a $43.5 million domestic opening.
The script for the terrifying R-rated pic was the subject of a heated bidding war when the package hit the market. New Line and Warners prevailed over rivals after dropping $38 million, including a $10 million payday for Cregger to direct, write, and produce after making waves with his debut film, 2022's Barbarian, which he wrote and directed. Sources say he commanded a $20 million fee in his deal to land Sony's next Resident Evil film.
Gun stars Julia Garner as a teacher who discovers that 17 of the 18 children in her classroom have simultaneously jumped out of bed and fled into the night. Josh Brolin plays a grieving father intent on finding his missing son, and he suspects the young teacher had something to do with it. Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, and Amy Madigan also star in Gun, which has a change of heart. (Madigan's performance as Aunt Gladys Gladys is already generating awards talk.)
However, there's another reason to seek out the unforgettable character. Several sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. and New Line are already talking with Cregger about making a prequel exploring the origin story of the strange aunt who suddenly arrives in town.
One of Arma 's concepts is its chapter structure centered on specific characters, and sources say Cregger actually had a chapter focused on Gladys and part of her backstory. He eventually cut this section from the script for length. Now, with the film's wild success, this lost chapter would be expanded into a full story. Sources say no deals have been made, nor is there a timeline.
This is partly because Cregger is already in preparation for his next venture: he wasn't even in town to open Arma as he was in Prague in pre-production on Resident Evil .
Weapon earned an impressive 96% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a public CinemaScore, a nearly unprecedented feat for a horror film. Exceptions include Jordan Peele's seminal horror film Get Out, which also earned an A- and made Peele one of the most sought-after directors overnight.
Rival Studios added that Warners' marketing campaign for Gun was nothing short of brilliant, considering they didn't want to spoil the surprise and explore the change in their marketing materials. They also received a coveted two-week slot in the coveted IMAX theater. In total, IMAX and other premium-sized screens accounted for 34% of the opening weekend.
Heading into its spring opening, Sinners had the advantage of being shepherded by Coogler, one of Hollywood's most proven directors and the filmmaker behind the Black Panther and Belief franchises. The film also reunited him with its star, Michael B. Jordan.
Sinners grossed north of $278 million domestically to become the first Disney Original Film to earn north of $200 million in North America. It soon surpassed Jaws – not adjusted for inflation – to become the highest-rated R-rated horror film ever in the domestic market, though its $366 million worldwide tally puts it just behind the global peak of Jaws.
Weapon was Warner Bros.' seventh release of the year to open first, an unparalleled feat, as well as its sixth consecutive title to open to over $40 million domestically, also an unparalleled record. The studio is also gearing up to celebrate DC Studios and James Gunn's Superman crossing the $600 million milestone on Friday, while F1: The Movie, released in partnership with Apple Original Films, is expected to turn to $600 million over the weekend.
