“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson’s star-studded murder mystery film, earned $1.66 million on Tuesday night ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday from 2,500 locations. It opens on 3,391 North American theaters over the five-day weekend.
“Knives Out” brings its total to $3.7 million so far after screening both last night and in early sneak peek preview screenings where it earned $2 million.
Lionsgate is releasing the film from MRC and T-Street that stars Daniel Craig and has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. “Queen & Slim,” from Universal, also opens wide Wednesday but did not open in previews on Tuesday.
“Knives Out” is projected for an opening north of $30 million over the 5-day weekend, though the studio is expecting an opening in the low to mid 20s. It should still be the No. 2 earner this weekend behind “Frozen II,” but “Knives Out” is tracking ahead of Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” on ticketing site Fandango, which also opened on a Wednesday in the summer of 2017. That film made $2.1 million in previews and went on to open to $29 million.
Like “Baby Driver,” “Knives Out” is something of a genre-driven pet project from the director of “Looper,” “Brick” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” as Johnson’s murder mystery subverts the genre with some humor and fun twists. When renowned crime novelist Harlan Thromeby is found dead at his estate just after his 85th birthday, the inquisitive and debonair Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is mysteriously enlisted to investigate. From Harlan’s dysfunctional family to his devoted staff, Blanc sifts through a web of red herrings and self-serving lies to uncover the truth behind Harlan’s untimely death.
The film stars Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford and Jaeden Martell.