Yahoo Movies Civil War sets new record with chart-topping debut
Alex Garland's Civil War has set a new record for A24, securing the studio's biggest opening weekend in the US.
The dystopian action film starring Kirsten Dunst racked up an impressive $25.7 million on its debut, breaking the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend for production and distribution company A24 (via Variety).
This number is nearly double A24's previous top-opener, 2018's Hereditary, which grossed $13.6 million in its first weekend.
Related: Civil War’s Kirsten Dunst was "proud" of Jesse Plemons in terrifying scene
Civil War is also the studio's most expensive movie to date, with an overall cost of $50 million.
The film is set against the backdrop of a second American Civil War, following a group of journalists racing to reach the White House before enemy factions take over.
Despite being largely praised by critics (the film currently sits at an 83% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes), Dunst said she was initially anxious about whether this positive reception would swing the other way.
Related: Civil War's ending will leave you haunted
"I’ve had a lot of anxiety about this movie coming out and being reviewed, because it could go either way. You put yourself out there," the actor shared during an exclusive interview with Digital Spy.
"I feel like without risk there is no reward, and Alex is really a provocative filmmaker and someone who I wanted to work with for a long time. I was relieved when the reviews came out, let’s put it that way."
In our four-star review of the film, we said that "Civil War is going to be one of the most divisive movies of the year", adding: "Garland strips everything down to its essence, avoiding an overpacked story, delivering memorable images and exploring crucial concepts."
Civil War is now out in cinemas.
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