Jordan Peele is holding a new mirror up to society, and this weekend proved just how many moviegoers want a look at its reflection. Universal’s “Us,” the latest politically resonant horror movie from Peele, sold an estimated $70.3 million in tickets over the weekend, easily leading the domestic box office and more than doubling the opening-weekend ticket sales of $33.4 million for Peele’s smash-hit directorial debut, “Get Out.”It makes sense that audiences were primed to see “Us”: When “Get Out” was released, Peele was still best known for sketch comedy, not directing horror movies. The runaway success of “Get Out” (it went on to gross around $175 million) was a product of euphoric reviews and strong word-of-mouth as the movie dominated the cultural discussion in the days and weeks after its release. [Read how Lupita Nyong’o created that creepy voice.] Even so, few predicted this level of success for “Us.” Analysts expected its first-weekend ticket sales to land closer to the $40 million mark.

Source: New York Times March 24, 2019 18:56 UTC