Don’t Worry Darling To Win Opening Weekend at the Box Office

Following weeks of controversy, Don’t Worry Darling will top the box office on its opening weekend. The film, directed by Olivia Wilde, is projected to earn $20 million in its first three days. That includes $9.4 million on its opening day. Don’t Worry Darling is carrying a B- CinemaScore and has a  labeling it rotten. The critics’ consensus reads, “Despite an intriguing array of talent on either side of the camera, Don’t Worry Darling is a mostly muddled rehash of overly familiar themes.” However, the film’s audience score is stronger, with 83% rating the film positively.

Don’t Worry Darling features a loaded, ensemble cast. It includes Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine. The film is a psychological thriller taking place in an idyllic, 1950s community with secrets beneath its surface. The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month.

Last weekend’s box office winner, The Woman King starring Viola Davis, will follow Don’t Worry Darling in second place, earning another $10 million. A complete list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend follows. 

1. Don’t Worry Darling

• Opening Weekend
• Total: $20 million

In the 1950s, Alice and Jack live in the idealized community of Victory, an experimental company town that houses the men who work on a top-secret project. While the husbands toil away, the wives get to enjoy the beauty, luxury and debauchery of their seemingly perfect paradise. However, when cracks in her idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something sinister lurking below the surface, Alice can’t help but question exactly what she’s doing in Victory.

Olivia Wilde directed Don’t Worry Darling from a screenplay by Katie Silberman. The film stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine.

2. The Woman King

• Week Two
• Weekend: $10 million
• Total: $36 million
  

In the 1800s, a group of all-female warriors protects the African kingdom of Dahomey with skills and fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Faced with a new threat, Gen. Nanisca trains the next generation of recruits to fight against a foreign enemy that’s determined to destroy their way of life.

Gina Prince-Bythewood directed The Woman King from a screenplay by Dana Stevens, based on a story she wrote with Maria Bello. The film stars Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega.

3. Avatar

• Week One of Re-release
• Weekend: $9.15 million
• Total: $796.7 million

On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na’vi, beings who appear primitive but are highly evolved. Because the planet’s environment is poisonous, human/Na’vi hybrids, called Avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free movement on Pandora. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paralyzed former Marine, becomes mobile again through one such Avatar and falls in love with a Na’vi woman (Zoe Saldana). As a bond with her grows, he is drawn into a battle for the survival of her world.

James Cameron wrote and directed Avatar. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver 

4. Barbarian

• Week Three
• Weekend: $4.75 million
• Total: $28.3 million

A young woman discovers the rental home she booked is already occupied by a stranger. Against her better judgment, she decides to spend the night but soon discovers there’s a lot more to fear than just an unexpected house guest.

Zach Cregger wrote and directed Barbarian. It stars Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, and Justin Long.

5. Pearl

• Week Two
• Weekend: $1.9 million
• Total: $7 million
  

Trapped on her family’s isolated farm, Pearl must tend to her ailing father under the bitter and overbearing watch of her devout mother. Hoping for a more glamorous life, Pearl’s ambitions, temptations, and repressions all collide to horrific effect.

Ti West directed Pearl, which is a prequel to his previous film, X, secretly shooting the films back-to-back. West also co-wrote the screenplay with star Mia Goth, who reprises her role as the title character that she originated in X. David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland, and Emma Jenkins-Purro also star.

6. Bullet Train

• Week Eight
• Weekend: $1.8 million
• Total: $99.2 million
  

Ladybug is an unlucky assassin who’s determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs has gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans as his latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe — all with connected yet conflicting objectives — on the world’s fastest train.

David Leitch directed Bullet Train from a screenplay by Zak Olkewicz, based on the novel by Kōtarō Isaka. The movie stars Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and Sandra Bullock.

7. See How They Run

• Week Two
• Weekend: $1.79
• Total: $5.99 million

In 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When a world-weary inspector and an eager rookie constable take on the case, they find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid world of underground theater, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.

Tom George directed See How They Run form a screenplay written by Mark Chappell. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, Harris Dickinson, and David Oyelowo.

8. DC League of Super-Pets

• Week Nine
• Weekend: $1.75 million
• Total: $89.95 million
  

Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime side by side in Metropolis. However, when the Man of Steel and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a ragtag group of animals to master their own newfound powers for a rescue mission.

Jared Stern directed DC League of Super-Pets and co-wrote the story with John Whittington. The movie’s voices cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, John Krasinski, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, and Keanu Reeves.

9. Top Gun: Maverick

• Week 19
• Weekend: $1.6 million
• Total: $711.6 million
  

After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

Joseph Kosinski directs Top Gun: Maverick from a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. The film stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer.

10. MInions: The Rise of Gru

• Week 13
• Weekend: $1.03 million
• Total: $365.6 million
  

In the 1970s, young Gru tries to join a group of supervillains called the Vicious 6 after they oust their leader — the legendary fighter Wild Knuckles. When the interview turns disastrous, Gru and his Minions go on the run with the Vicious 6 hot on their tails. Luckily, he finds an unlikely source for guidance — Wild Knuckles himself — and soon discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.

Kyle Balda directed Minions: The Rise of Gru. The film’s voice cast includes Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Alan Arkin.