Photo: Paramount Pictures
* This post includes spoilers for A Quiet Place.
John Krasinski was not a likely candidate to direct one of the year’s most anticipated horror films, and yet, A Quiet Place premiered at this year’s SXSW festival to jubilant reviews, earning a near perfect critical rating as it sails into its opening weekend — where it’s slated to take the top box-office spot from Steven Spielberg’s gargantuan Ready Player One. So how did the Jim from Dunder Mifflin pull off this critical and box-office coup? By making a pure hit of horror adrenaline shot straight into the mainline.
The script, which Krasinski rewrote from a first draft by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, is a well-executed study in tension, and it’s given emotional heft by the onscreen dynamic he shares with his real-life partner, Emily Blunt. Together they play Evelyn and Lee, married parents of two with a baby on the way, who are doing everything they can to make a good life for their children — while keeping them safe from lightning-fast monsters that seem to have overrun the whole planet. But the real kick of A Quiet Place is its perfect driving conceit: The monsters hunt by sound, and anything above whisper decibel will draw them in.
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It’s almost too obvious to say, but sound is central to horror. If those screeching strings hadn’t been playing over the top of Norman Bates stabbing Marion Crane, would we even be talking about Psycho today? And so it follows that the absence of noise is just as important. When no one is making a sound in a horror movie, you hold your breath, lest you tip off the killer all the way from the other side of the screen. Krasinski blew that feeling up and turned it into an entire plot: When making noise anywhere at any time is life-threatening, an egg timer is enough to bring down life as you know it. It makes sense, then, that the movie’s best scene is one that includes an inopportunely placed nail and a woman going into contractions.
Evelyn is nine months pregnant, because A Quiet Place wasn’t stressful enough without labor and the threat of a screaming newborn. The film starts with a “normal” evening of chores for Evelyn, when the absolute worst thing happens: With her husband and children out of the house, Evelyn’s water breaks. She instinctively heads for the AV command center in the basement of the house to fire up the SOS signal (a strand of red globe lights that snake across the property), and on her way down the old wooden stairs, Blunt’s character lands with the full weight of her step on an upright nail. Everyone in A Quiet Place goes shoeless to mitigate noise, meaning the spike instantly buries itself several inches into Evelyn’s exposed foot. With the sonic stakes extraordinarily high, that cursed nail becomes “as lethal as an unexploded bomb,” as the New York Times put it.
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Evelyn stifles a scream, but drops a picture frame on the floor, resulting in an audible shatter. And now we know all hell is going to come down on her. One of the beasts enters the home and makes its way downstairs, leaving bleeding, birthing, horrified Evelyn to bury herself silently in a corner until her improvised trap — a kitchen timer — goes off, distracting the monster long enough for her to exit up the stairs. If you broke this scene out as a short film from A Quiet Place, it could stand on its own. It makes the movie’s figurative claustrophobia literal, compressing the action into a single, small concrete room. Krasinski’s script doesn’t try to overwhelm you with blood, so the nail in the foot really delivers a system shock after you’ve spent most of the movie afraid of falling lanterns. The domino effect — the way one misstep can lead to a torrent of calamities — reinforces how dangerous the in-world threat is, even after you start to get used to the rules. And more than anything, the scene makes excellent use of the film’s biggest asset: Emily Blunt.
Krasinski knows his wife and star is his greatest resource, and the anxiety he wrings out of her is the lighter fluid that ignites A Quiet Place. At first, when Krasinski was originally discussing the film with Blunt, she’d recommended other actresses to play Evelyn, but then took another pass at her director husband’s script and staked her claim to the part. Whenever the camera hones in on Blunt for a long, stressful take, the movie hits a new peak.
Evelyn does eventually escape the basement, and hobbles her way to a bathroom upstairs, presumably while a baby is crowning. Blunt hunkering down in the tub has become the movie’s signature visual, but it’s her harrowing injury and encounter in the basement that catalyzes A Quiet Place’s most emotionally exhausting run — and sets up what might be single-most cathartic scream you’ll see in a movie this year.
Horror-thriller “A Quiet Place” has opened with an impressive $4.3 million at 2,740 North American locations in Thursday night preview showings, while “Blockers” took in $1.5 million at 2,650 sites in previews.
Paramount Pictures’ “A Quiet Place,” starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, has been forecasted to debut with as much as $30 million from 3,508 locations. The film, which opened at South by Southwest to rave reviews, currently boasts a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
“The Office” star Krasinski directed the story of an isolated family of four who must live in silence while hiding from creatures that hunt by sound. Surveys by comScore’s Screen Engine-PostTrak showed 50% of the Thursday night audience rated “A Quiet Place” as “excelllent” and another 33% called it “very good” with 63% saying they would give it a “definitely” recommend the movie.
“This is a terrific start for ‘A Quiet Place’ and shows what happens when strong buzz and one of the most popular genres (namely horror) intersect to create a ‘must see’ moviegoing event,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore.
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The preview number for “A Quiet Place” is better than the $4 million that “Annabelle: Creation” grossed in Thursday night showings on its way to a $35 million opening weekend last August.
Universal’s “Blockers” is expected to pull in between $16 million and $20 million at 3,379 theaters. Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, and John Cena play parents trying to stop their teen daughters’ pact to lose their virginity on prom night.
“Blockers” marks the directorial debut of Kay Cannon, who wrote the “Pitch Perfect” trilogy. It was produced by Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, and James Weaver, and is currently averaging 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Blockers,” which also debuted last month at South by Southwest, is probably going to be in a battle for second place with the sophomore weekend of Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One.” The Warner Bros. sci-fi movie has grossed $68.3 million domestically in its first week
Entertainment Studios’ drama “Chappaquiddick” opened with $175,000 at 1,146 sites in Thursday night previews. “Chappaquiddick” is aiming for $4 million at 1,560 locations during the weekend.
Jason Clarke portrays Ted Kennedy while Kate Mara plays Mary Jo Kopechne, who died in the 1969 car accident. The film has received solid critical support with an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The overall domestic box office has declined by 4.4% to $2.94 billion as of April 4, according to comScore. Disney-Marvel’s “Black Panther” has been the year’s major success story with $655.6 million in seven weeks with five straight weekend victories.
“Black Panther” should take in about $7 million in its eighth weekend and top “Titanic” as the third-largest domestic grosser of all time, behind only “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Avatar.”
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Credit: Jonny Cournoyer - © 2018 Paramount Pictures
I know you’re all tired of reading posts where I essentially beg you to vote with your wallet, where I complain about folks championing movies that represent one ideal or another and then ignoring those movies in theaters. And I get that regular theatrical moviegoing is not a realistic option for many folks, be it for financial reasons or because of time constraints and the availability of at-home entertainment options of equal/better quality. I mean, everyone buzzing about Steven Spielberg proclaiming that the next Indiana Jones could be female (What else was he going to say to that question?) seems to have ignored the perfectly solid Lara Croft movie that opened three weeks ago, but that’s a complaint for another post.
But this weekend features two ridiculously good major studio releases that aren’t tentpoles but are absolutely mainstream/high-quality/theater-friendly multiplex releases. If you care at all about the availability of such flicks in theaters, let alone whether such films get made at all, you really need to take some time out of your weekend schedule and see Universal/Comcast Corp.’s Blockers and/or Paramount/Viacom Inc.’s A Quiet Place. One is a superb R-rated teen girl-centric coming of age sex comedy with a female director (Kay Cannon) at the helm. The other is a knockout of an existential horror movie that subtly critiques patriarchal survivalist tropes while scaring you silly with its genuinely high concept. This is a “speak now, or forever hold your peace” moment.
Okay, now that I got that off my chest…
John Krasinki’s A Quiet Place, an original and critically-acclaimed horror flick costarring Emily Blunt and penned by Krasinksi, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, just nabbed $4.3 million in Thursday previews. That is an obscene amount for a horror film that isn’t a sequel or a sky-high IP adaptation. For comparison, Happy Death Day earned $1m in Thursday previews, Get Out earned $1.8m in previews and Split earned $2m in Thursday previews. Oh, and The Purge earned “just” $3.4m in Thursday previews five years ago on the way to a $34m debut weekend. Does this mean that Paramount’s horror classic is heading toward a $40m+ debut weekend? Well, with rave reviews and white-hot buzz, it’s entirely possible.
This is a $17 million Platinum Dunes flick, so anything over $20m for the weekend is a win. That’s especially true as Paramount needs a hit very badly, as they haven’t had a domestic/worldwide win since Arrival in late 2016. And after the disappointing runs of mother! and Annihilation, it’s beyond refreshing to see at least one critically-acclaimed horror flick breaking out, even if A Quiet Place is more meat-and-potatoes entertainment (made, mind you, with real Kobebeef) than those two previous head trips. My wife went to see it last night and got sold out of the 7:30 pm showing. She saw it at 8 pm, which was also sold out.
At this juncture, since the movie is incredibly effective, has justifiably rave reviews and plays great in a packed audience, I am leaning toward optimistic hyperbole. But just in case, a run like Paranormal Activity 2 ($6.3 million midnight/$40m debut) still gets the movie to $27m for the weekend. Even a run like It (which was an IP cash-in and snagged $13.5m in Thursday previews) gets it just under $40m. I mean, hell, if this plays like a Twilight sequel we’re still looking at around $22m for the frame. When you have a movie that cost under $20m, with rave reviews and solid word of mouth, that just snagged $4.3m in Thursday previews, there aren’t many plausible “bad” scenarios.
The other outright great movie opening this weekend is Blockers. The Universal/Comcast comedy, starring Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz as three parents trying to stop their teen daughters (Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Indira Viswanathan and Gideon Adlon) from losing their virginity on prom night, also earned (justifiably) rave reviews. The $20 million-budgeted comedy earned $1.5m in Thursday previews, which hopefully points toward a $20m-$25m debut weekend. I know there’s a lot to see right now, but Kay Cannon’s Blockers is one of the best mainstream studio comedies in years. If you want more like it (or Game Night), you need to, say it with me now, vote with your wallet.
“A Quiet Place” is full of bare feet, sign language and absolutely no silverware. Make one noise, and bloodthirsty creatures will find you within seconds.
The thriller, writer-director John Krasinski’s first film for a major studio, takes place in a world seized by a new kind of Hollywood monster: giant, grasshopper-y creatures who cannot see or smell but could hear a pin drop from miles away. The Abbotts, a family of five-ish helmed by real-life couple Krasinski and Emily Blunt, must therefore live in absolute silence to avoid suffering the same gruesome fate as most of humanity.
The roughly 90 lines of dialogue are too frequent for “A Quiet Place” to be considered a silent film, and the accompanying music is too subtle. But this isn’t a traditional horror flick, either. The gimmick makes for a novel theatrical experience — even an hour after you were told to silence your cellphone, you’ll remain keenly aware of how quiet the room is.
So what might you hear while clutching your seat’s armrests in terror? (Note: Minor spoilers ahead.)
1. Lots of munching on snacks
The Abbotts visit an abandoned grocery store in the film’s opening scene, careful to avoid bagged chips and similarly noisy foods. Crinkling plastic is a grave sin in this unfortunate future — the movie takes place in 2021 — but it isn’t so great in 2018, either. Because of how quiet the theater gets, you are likely to hear every crumple, munch or slurp in your vicinity. Just remember to open any loud packaging before “A Quiet Place” begins.
2. A sigh after someone drops their phone (or another belonging)
We all know how difficult it can be to look for something during a movie. When I went to see this one, some guy let out an exasperated sigh after his phone fell during a pivotal scene and made a huge thud. (Smartphones are apparently a lot heavier than you’d think.) A few people also dropped their snacks, and maybe a pen.
While it could be true that Krasinski and Blunt’s extremely evident love for each other makes everyone else temporarily lose control of their motor skills, it is more likely that we just usually have the luxury of a blaring soundtrack to cover up our clumsiness. Remember “Inception”? During those braaaaaaams, you could have dropped a textbook.
[ Review: ‘A Quiet Place’ stars Emily Blunt in an ingeniously inventive horror-thriller ]
John Krasinski plays Lee Abbott in “A Quiet Place,” which he co-wrote and directed. (Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures)
3. Vocalized concerns over Evelyn’s blood loss
Basements are known to be dangerous in horror movies, and this one plays by that rule. While walking down the stairs at one point, a stray nail pierces Evelyn’s (Blunt) foot. It’s obviously an awful experience — much worse than stepping on a Lego brick, and that’s just the pits — but this is “A Quiet Place” and she can’t express that pain. No swearing, no yelling — nothing!
It doesn’t help that the grasshopper-y things are on the prowl. Evelyn doesn’t have time to sanitize and wrap her foot immediately, so she just leaves a bunch of bloody footprints all over the basement floor. Some people around you will murmur in alarmed tones, but others might remark, “She’s losing too much blood!” like you’re in an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.”
4. Vocalized concerns about impending childbirth
Oh, Evelyn, you poor woman. A good chunk of the film takes place during the final trimester of her pregnancy — of course it does — and you spend much of that time wondering how she could possibly give birth in complete silence. And have they devised a plan for dealing with a screaming baby? As the mystery unfolds, the entire audience turns into that “confused math lady” meme, but out loud with a bunch of “How?!” and “WHAT?!” moments.
5. A series of yelps
Krasinski has mentioned in multiple interviews that “A Quiet Place” is just as much a movie about what parents will do for their children as it is a horror film. Viewers will squeal whenever the kids find themselves in danger and empathize when Evelyn asks her husband, “Who are we if we can’t protect them?”
Lest this sentimentality deter those just looking for a good fright, know that Krasinski also tacks on a good number of jump scares and menacing monster noises (even though the movie’s PG-13 rating prevents it from every getting too gory). And the prospect of childbirth in this setting seems terrifying enough.
Read more:
When you’re pregnant, movies and TV constantly remind you of the worst-case scenario
Emily Blunt opens up about stuttering, which afflicted actors from Marilyn Monroe to Bruce Willis
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