Two years after the release of the Oscar-winning Get Out, Jordan Peele’s second directorial effort Us arrived in theaters this weekend, with the film scoring the biggest ever opening for an original horror film.
Dethroning the superhero blockbuster Captain Marvel, Us grossed a whopping $70.3 million in North America – a weekend only topped by two other horror movies in the Stephen King adaptation It and last year’s Halloween reboot.
Along with its U.S. box office success, the $20 million budgeted Us added a further $16.7 million from 47 international markets, giving it a global weekend haul of $86.95 million.
Peele’s first movie Get Out debuted to $33.4 million domestically back in February 2017 and went on to earn $255.4 million worldwide.
A mother (Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o from Black Panther, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and 12 Years a Slave) and a father (Winston Duke from Black Panther) take their kids to their beach house expecting to unplug and unwind with friends (including Emmy winner Elizabeth Moss from TV series The Handmaid’s Tale). But as night descends, their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some shocking visitors arrive uninvited.
Directed by Jordan Peele (Get Out), Us sees Black Panther stars Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke starring alongside Elizabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Get Down), Anna Diop (24: Legacy), Shahadi Wright Joseph (The Lion King), Evan Alex (Kidding), Cali Sheldon (Friends), Noelle Sheldon (Friends) and newcomer Madison Curry.