The hotly anticipated and controversial film "Civil War" made almost $3 million in box office previews Thursday, Variety reported, and is in a position to become the highest-earning film ever from production company A24 as audiences question the vision and necessity behind the cautionary tale that violently dramatizes America’s political divides.
L-R: Actors Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny on the set of the film "Civil War."
“Civil War” is projected to make as much as $30 million in its opening weekend, potentially unseating current blockbuster favorite "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire,” and could go on to break the record for A24's most successful film in the domestic market, according to Box Office Pro, a title currently held by Oscar-winning film “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once."
Despite its markers for success, "Civil War" has been a topic of controversy as writer-director Alex Garland brings to life his vision of a divided America that sees California and Texas join together to rebel against the federal government.
The film, a cautionary tale about the extreme and rising polarization and political violence in the United States, depicts a nation dissolved into citizen v. citizen combat, complete with depictions of torture and suicide bombings that have been called "shocking," "terrifying" and "chilling” by reviewers.
Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny star as journalists traveling to Washington D.C. to chronicle the war, and is meant to depict the importance of the press in a divided time: “I want to make a film about journalists where journalists are the heroes,” Garland told the New York Times.
The film does not dive into the details of the politics at play in the civil war, why California and Texas have banded together (a pairing that was immediately criticized as unrealistic) or define the conflict as one between liberal and conservatives, according to the Times.
"What kind of American are you?” actor Jesse Plemons, who plays a sadistic soldier in the “Civil War” film, asks in the movie's trailer.
83%. That's the critics score of "Civil War" on Rotten Tomatoes. Peter Travers of ABC News called the film "the most original and propulsively exciting movie of the year so far." Huffington Post critic Candice Frederick contrarily said the film only serves to "kick up a lot of dust around controversial topics without actually examining or even adequately portraying any of them.”
How the movie performs. "Civil War" opened in 3,395 theaters on Friday.
The 2024 box office has suffered under poor expectations brought by last year's Hollywood strikes, fewer films slated for release and "waning moviegoer sentiment." Last year's box office, spurred by the mega success of films like "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," was the best performance seen since the start of the pandemic with $9 billion domestically. Studio executives have said they expect the 2024 box office to only reach about $8 billion, largely because of the delay of several high-dollar films due to actors and writers strikes last year. Analytics firm Gower Street this week predicted theater revenues will hit $32.3 billion worldwide, according to the Hollywood Reporter, down from last year's earnings of $33.9 billion. So far, the best domestically performing film of the year is "Dune: Part Two," pushed from a 2023 release due to the strikes, with a $267.1 million gross. “Kung Fu Panda 4" is in the No. 2 spot with $167.6 million and "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" is third with $140 million.
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