No, Jordan Peele’s ‘Nope’ Isn’t a Box Office Disappointment

variety.com:

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterJordan Peele, of all filmmakers, shouldn’t be surprised that the conversation around “Nope’s” box office performance has stirred up several hot takes.The director’s cerebral science-fiction thriller took in $44 million in its box office debut, easily leading domestic charts and impressively landing one of the biggest opening weekends in years for a film that’s not based on existing IP.And yet, there’s still debate about the film’s first weekend in theaters, with suggestions that initial numbers for “Nope” were “disappointing” or “lackluster.” Like any good Peele movie, there’s plenty to unpack about opening weekend revenues for “Nope.” And in fairness, the movie — starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer as siblings who discover something spooky around their family’s ranch — had a lot to live up to at the box office. “The bar has been raised so high,” says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior ComScore analyst.Peele can thank his last film, 2019’s doppelgänger horror story “Us,” for those sky-high expectations.

Because “Us” doubled projections with its unexpectedly huge $71 million debut, box office watchers were optimistic that “Nope” would similarly crush opening weekend estimates, which were around $45 million to $55 million.

Although “Nope” did not come close to matching the initial results of “Us,” its $44 million debut marks a strong result for an original R-rated film.When it comes to new ideas, you’d have to go back to early 2019 when “Us” hit theaters to find a movie with an original screenplay that secured a higher opening weekend.