Talk to Me Delivers Second-Biggest Box Office Opening Ever for A24

The current box office conversation revolves almost entirely around the massive successes of , but a horror movie with a whole lot of buzz behind it is proving to be the little engine that could after its debut in theaters this weekend. Talk to Me, the chilling film that has been getting a lot of attention since it was shown at Sundance earlier this year, was given a wide release by popular indie distributor and studio A24. 

The gamble paid off for A24, as Talk to Me delivered the second-biggest debut weekend in the company’s history. Talk to Me earned more than $10 million at the box office this weekend, playing on 2,300+ screens across the country. The only A24 movie to earn more in its opening weekend was Ari Aster’s instant horror classic Hereditary. That film earned $13.6 million in its first weekend.

Talk to Me doubled its opening weekend projections and looks to be a smash horror hit for A24, even when going up against the biggest movies of the year. 

Talk to Me Is Both a Horror and Drama Film

Ahead of Talk to Me‘s debut in theaters this weekend, directors Danny and Michael Philippou spoke with ComicBook.com about making sure the characters were always at the center of the film’s story.

“We knew that we wanted all the horror to be rooted in character, and we didn’t just want a splatter film where people are getting picked off here and there,” Michael explained. “We wanted scenes to have the impact that was necessary. We wanted it to be rooted in reality for the film to work as both a horror film AND a drama film.”

“We wanted it to be current,” added Danny. “We wanted to make something that was modern. Gen Z and the problems they face with social media are just a part of life now. It’s a lot of what we understand and where we come from. We came to realize that some of the things we wanted to say worked well in focusing on that.”

Talk to Me Cast

Talk to Me stars Sophia Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen, Zoe Terakes, and Chris Alosio. Danny and Michael Philippou directed the film from a screenplay the former wrote alongside Bill Hinzman. 

The logline for Talk to Me reads: “When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.”