IF Posts Encouraging Opening Weekend Box Office Numbers

This past weekend saw the release of IF, the movie featuring imaginary friends brought to life by the creative mind of writer and director John Krasinski. IF boasts a star-studded cast that includes headliners Cailey Fleming and Ryan Reynolds, along with a host of other recognizable names like Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, George Clooney, and more. IF had some stiff competition at the box office for its opening weekend, but it managed to come out on top, beating other new releases The Strangers – Chapter 1 and the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black. 

Overall, IF ended the weekend box office with a $33.7M opening. At the time of this writing, IF sits with a 47% Tomatometer and an 87% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, and an A CinemaScore. Other accolades include 4.5/5 stars on PostTrak for parents, kids, and the general audience, and 68% of kids and 34% of the general audience stating IF exceeded their expectations. IF is the first original PG-rated live-action family film since 2018. There aren’t a lot of comps for original PG-rated live-action family films. However, for these types of movies, IF‘s domestic box office was only exceeded by Hop ($37.5M in 2011) and National Treasure ($35.1M in 2004).

IF is also drawing comparisons to Elemental, a $200M budget film released June 16, 2023, that opened to $29.6M but managed to gross $496.4M worldwide. Another positive note in IF‘s favor is the fact that schools will start to let out for the summer, potentially setting up IF for a long box office run.

ComicBook had this to say about IF in our review: “While IF may not be a perfectly pieced-together movie, there’s enough heart embedded in its core to make it a worthy trip to the cinema for families. The cast is delightful, the IFs are magical, and the warmth is undeniable.”   

What is John Krasinski’s IF about?

From writer and director John Krasinski, IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.

IF stars Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, John Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr. and Steve Carell alongside many more as the wonderfully unique characters that reflect the incredible power of a child’s imagination.