Moviegoers apparently can’t wait to sink into Jordan Peele’s next big horror effort.
Us, the follow-up from the Oscar-winning writer-director of 2017’s Get Out, won’t open until March 22. But early box-office info for the film, as reported by Variety, indicates the movie will likely open to about $35 million in the U.S. That estimate, which could grow higher in the next few weeks, would top the $33 million earned by Get Out in its first weekend in February 2017.
Peele’s stark comedy-shocker—about a young African-American photographer (Daniel Kaluuya) who finds himself caught in a horrific, racist science experiment—went on to make more than $250 million worldwide, with many fans seeing it twice in the theaters (some would even have seen it a third time, if they could). It also earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, with Peele himself winning for Best Original Screenplay.
Us, Peele’s directorial follow-up, chronicles a young family as they’re haunted by a group of mysterious look-alikes. The ensemble cast includes Lupita Nyong’o, who won an Oscar for 2013’s 12 Years aSlave, and Black Panther‘s Winston Duke.
Horror remains a vital genre for studio executives and theatre-owners, as the genre’s fans are deeply loyal, which makes for strong theatrical runs. Recent hits include 2019’s Escape Room, which cost just $9 million to produce, and which has made $56 million in the U.S., according to Box Office Mojo. Last year saw several breakout horror hits, including A Quiet Place, Halloween, and Hereditary.
Us is just one of several big-name, big-scare movies to arrive in 2019, a year that will also see a sequel to hit Stephen King adaptation It, as well as revivals of such scare-classics as Pet Semetary and Child’s Play.