Alex Garland害羞草研究所檚 provocative 害羞草研究所� Civil War 害羞草研究所� didn害羞草研究所檛 only ignite the discourse. The film also inspired audiences to go to the cinemas this weekend where it surpassed expectations and earned $25.7 million in ticket sales in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It害羞草研究所檚 the biggest R-rated opening of the year to date and a record for A24, the studio behind films like 害羞草研究所淓verything Everywhere All At Once害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淭he Iron Claw.害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淐ivil War害羞草研究所� also unseated 害羞草研究所淕odzilla x Kong 害羞草研究所� from its perch atop the box office. The titan movie from Warner Bros. had held the No. 1 spot for the past two weekends.

害羞草研究所淐ivil War,害羞草研究所� starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny as a front-line journalists in a near future covering a devastating conflict in the U.S. and trying to make their way to Washington, D.C. The story, written by Garland, who is also the mind behind 害羞草研究所淓x Machina害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所淎nnihilation,害羞草研究所� imagines a U.S. in which California and Texas have united against a president who has disbanded the FBI and given himself a third term.

Though entirely fictional, 害羞草研究所淐ivil War害羞草研究所� has been inspiring debates since the first trailer that have extended beyond the musings of film critics and traditional reviews. This weekend, The New York Times ran two opinion pieces related to the movie, one by Stephen Marche and another by Michelle Goldberg. There were also pieces on CNN and Politico.

Going into the weekend, projections pegged the film to debut in the $15 to $24 million range. The film opened on 3,838 screens in the U.S. and Canada, including IMAX. It害羞草研究所檚 the most expensive movie that the studio has ever made, with a production budget of $50 million, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.

Before 害羞草研究所淐ivil War,害羞草研究所� A24害羞草研究所檚 biggest debut was the Ari Aster horror 害羞草研究所淗ereditary,害羞草研究所� which opened to $13.6 million in 2018. A24 doesn害羞草研究所檛 always open films nationwide out of the gates. The studio said 害羞草研究所淐ivil War害羞草研究所� overperformed in markets 害羞草研究所渇rom LA to El Paso.害羞草研究所�

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Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press