Movies

A Quiet Place Part II makes noise with $48 million box office debut

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Published on May 30, 2021 02:15PM EDT

A Quiet Place Part II is ushering in a new era at the box office with an estimated $48 million debut, the largest of the pandemic era.

The film was originally set to be released in the first quarter of 2020 but held out for a proper big-screen release in May as improving coronavirus infection/death rates encourages the reopening of theaters nationwide. Currently, 71 percent of North American theaters are back in business.

Disney's Cruella takes second place with an estimated $21.3 million followed by Spiral ($2.3 million), Wrath of Man ($2.1 million), and Raya and the Last Dragon ($2 million).

The Emily Blunt-led horror sequel picks up over a year after the events of the original film as the Abbott family navigate in a new post-apocalyptic world as the blind creatures who thrive on sound continue to wreak havoc. Newly added cast members include Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou.

EW gave the film a B+ saying, "it's almost immediately immersive to be here again — this Norman Rockwell painting that is also a cleverly torqued daylight nightmare, designed as a puzzle only its smart, resourceful characters can solve — even if it ultimately feels like three-quarters of a very good movie chopped off from a whole."

Moviegoers via Cinemascore liked the film a bit better, they gave it an A-.

A Quiet Place 2 — Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures

Craig Gillespie directs Emma Stone in Cruella, a film that reveals how a series of events leads a young girl named Estella to embrace her destiny as the Disney villain Cruella de Vil of 101 Dalmations fame. But before any of that can happen, she must face a tragedy head-on and unravel old secrets to discover who she truly is.

Emma Thompson portrays Estella's fashionable foe Baroness von Hellman, a particularly evil woman determined to remain at the top no matter what it takes. She has a small army of minions helping her along including her loyal valet John (Mark Strong), her lawyer Roger (Kayvan Novak), and her assistant Jeffrey (Andrew Leung), among others.

EW gives the film, also currently available via Disney+ Premier access, a B+ saying it's "a heady exercise in style and scenery-chewing whose high-gloss chaos seems designed less for cohesive storytelling or world-building than for looking super-cool in previews."

Cinemascore reviewers give the film an A.

Check out the May 28-30 numbers below: