John Krasinski’s popular A Quiet Place franchise is one of those rare modern series that built a following as a newer IP with no previous existing source material. Just like John Wick, the first one was a simple but effective movie that was able to build additional lore around it for the sequels. The new installment, A Quiet Place: Day One, switches things up by being a prequel and having very little to do with the core characters of the original. Early reviews had a positive buzz, and the Thursday previews are now displaying a new peak for the series.

Deadline is reporting that A Quiet Place: Day One has surpassed the previous films in Thursday preview numbers. The prequel grows its scope by being set in New York City just as it gets invaded by the aliens, which may have, in turn, grown its appeal to the audience. The movie would bring in over $5 million at the box office in preview screenings. This sets a new record as the past figures on early Thursday night showings had $4.3 million brought in by the first film and the second would raise $4.8 million.

The reviews for Day One have been positive, with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of a certified fresh 86%. However, they are the lowest of the series as the first would sport a 96% and the second showcased a 91%. The CinemaScore is yet to be released until tomorrow, but the first earned a B+, while the sequel got an A-. In the review from our own Chris Bumbray, he mentions that “this is perhaps even more performance and character-driven than the other films in the franchise. […] While it’s the least of the series, it’s still quite good, and it feels like a franchise that could sustain another movie or two.”

The weekend estimates predict that the movie would bring in $40 million+ at the box office. The horror genre is generally pretty reliable, although many also predict that it will follow the trend of being frontloaded in its performance with a tapered drop-off in weeks to come. Deadline states, “The first movie’s previews repped 23% of its $18.8M Friday, heading to a $50.2M 3-day weekend, while the second installment’s previews repped 25% of its first Friday of $19.3M for a 3-day of $47.5M, 4-day of $57M over Memorial Day weekend. Too soon to tell if there’s a ‘5’ in front of Day One‘s opening.”

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