Alex Garland’s political thriller Civil War debuted at $25.7 million at the domestic box office this weekend, marking a record for A24, the film’s distributor.

Civil War’s debut is higher than what analysts anticipated, as previous predictions had the film opening between $19 million and $20 million. Beyond having A24’s best opening weekend, Civil War was also the most expensive film for A24 to release, with a budget of around $50 million.

The release of the film generated some controversy online due to it being released about seven months before the 2024 elections, as the film details a fictional future where the United States is fighting a second civil war. Garland, known for directing films like 2015’s Ex Machina and 2018’s Annihilation, explained in an interview that his new movie is meant to generate discussion on how political divisiveness causes both parties to vilify each other.

The film’s plot focuses on four journalists traveling to Washington, D.C., to interview the president while this civil war is taking place. Kirsten Dunst, who plays one of the journalists in this film, argued recently that there is discourse taking place “all over the world” and that this film could have been made and released at any time.

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Co-star Wagner Moura contended that the film does delve into politics, but not in a way with an explicit agenda.

Amid the film’s box office success, Civil War has been received mostly positively from both critics and audiences, earning an 83% rating from critics and a 77% audience rating on movie review website Rotten Tomatoes. The film also received a B- from audiences on Cinemascore.