Comedian/filmmaker Jordan Peele’s latest sci-fi horror “Nope” topped the box office this weekend. Although it pulled in less than expected, the movie made $44 million in North America. The film initially had a budget of $40 million, which with marketing went up to $68 million.
Prior to its opening, Forbes reported that the film aimed “to become 2022’s top-grossing original.”
“Nope” is Peele’s third movie, following the success of his directorial and screenwriting debut, “Get Out,” in 2017 and “Us” in 2019. “Nope’ is also Peele’s third film in a row to open at number one at the North American box office.
Peele’s latest stars Daniel Kaluuya of “Get Out” and Keke Palmer as siblings who run a horse ranch and discover extra-terrestrials.
Observers are wondering why the highly anticipated “Nope” didn’t pull in more over the weekend. It could “be due to myriad reasons. For starters, Peele’s films — while entertaining — are reliably cerebral,” CNN reported. In addition, according to CNN, marketing for the film had been considered “cryptic,” and some moviegoers may have been hesitant to take a risk on the film, especially as they deal with tighter budgets thanks to inflation, some experts speculate.
But the film’s box office still has time to grow. Peele’s other films turned out to be major hits. “Get Out,” which had a small budget of a mere $4.5 million, made $33 million and “Us” exceeded all expectations by opening with roughly $70 million, which more than tripled its $20 million production budget. Both films went on to earn $255 million worldwide, Daily Mail reported.
“When it comes to Jordan Peele, it’s not so much about the opening weekend as much as it’s about building that word of mouth,” Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN Business. “His movies are in it for the long haul.”
With “Nope” coming in at the top, the film “Thor: Love And Thunder” dropped to the number-two spot at the box office and “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” took the number-three slot.
