A Quiet Place Part II Tops Disney's Cruella in Strong Opening Night Box Office

This weekend marks one of the biggest signifiers that movie theaters will be making a comeback, as both A Quiet Place Part II and Cruella opened in nearly 4,000 theaters nationwide, some of the widest openings since the pandemic caused movie theaters to shutter their doors last spring. On Thursday night's preview openings, A Quiet Place Part II dominated screenings, taking in a reported $4.8 million as compared to Cruella's $1.4 million. It's worth noting, however, that the A Quiet Place sequel was originally slated to hit theaters last spring, with the release delays only building anticipation further, while Cruella is also debuting on Disney+ Premier Access, allowing audiences to rent it at home.

Based on these preview totals, A Quiet Place Part II could open to at least $30 million for the holiday weekend, whereas Cruella is looking to open around the $17 million mark.

Early critical reactions to both films have been positive, with A Quiet Place Part II sitting at 90% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, while Cruella sits at 72% positive.

In the Quiet Place sequel, following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

In Cruella, Academy Award winner Emma Stone (La La Land) stars in an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinema's most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. Cruella, which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella's flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson (Howards End, Sense & Sensibility). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable, and revenge-bent Cruella.

Both A Quiet Place Part II and Cruella are in theaters now.

Will you be checking out the films on the big screen? Let us know in the comments below!