Civil War Is Already Breaking Records for A24

Civil War was released in the theaters this weekend, and the new Alex Garland film is doing quite well for A24. Currently, the movie is up on Rotten Tomatoes with a "Certified Fresh" 83% critics score. ComicBook.com's Kofi Outlaw gave the movie a 4 out of 5, and called it Garland's "most ambitious story yet." The movie is set in a not-so-distant future that sees the United States in the midst of a second Civil War. The film follows a group of journalists played by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny who must travel through a dangerous country as they attempt to reach the President for an interview. In addition to being a hit with critics, the movie is also breaking box office records for A24. 

According to Deadline, Civil War made $2.9 million in Thursday night previews at 2,931 locations. This beat the A24's previous Thursday night record of $1.3 million, which was set by Hereditary back in 2018. The movie is expected to top $20 million this weekend, which would also be a new record for A24. In 2018, Hereditary also set the studio's opening weekend record with $13.6 million. 

It's important to note that Civil War is A24's most expensive film to date. The film had a reported $50 million budget in addition to a reported $20 million marketing budget. At this rate, it seems like A24's attempt to shift focus from low-budget indie movies might be paying off. However, the movie has a long way to go before being A24's most successful film ever. 

Hereditary is the studio's third-highest-grossing film, earning $82.7 worldwide. The second-place earner was last year's Talk To Me, which made $92.2 million worldwide. Unsurprisingly, the studio's biggest box office earner was Everything Everywhere All At Once in 2022. The film made $143.4 million at the box office before going on to win seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Is Alex Garland Retiring?

Garland recently expressed that he would be stepping away from directing, and while some of those comments were interpreted to mean he would no longer be making movies, he has since clarified his comments. The director explained that he is specifically taking an indefinite hiatus from directing to focus on writing. However, he has no plans to retire. 

"What I said is I'm going to take a break from directing for the foreseeable future. How that could get extrapolated as what pride I do or do not feel in this movie. I just don't see the connecting thread," Garland confirmed to IndieWire. "I said I'm going to stop directing for the foreseeable future. Why would a statement like that be taken and picked over or interpreted to that degree? There's something weird happening there. There's something strange about that ... it's a general strangeness that exists to do with what form public statements take, how they are used, and how words are interpreted or read."

Civil War is now playing in theaters.