The horror film They Will Kill You opened in third place this weekend at the box office after scaring up a projected $5.0 million in ticket sales.
The film featuring Atlanta alum Zazie Beetz debuted nationwide in 2,778 locations, for a disappointing per theater average of $1,800, Comscore reported Sunday.
Overseas, the thriller earned another $4.0 million, bringing its global total of $9.0 million.
That was a far cry from Amazon/MGM’s Project Hail Mary, which held onto the top spot after ringing up another $54.5 million in domestic ticket sales. In two weeks, the space drama starring Ryan Gosling has earned $164.3 million in North America alone.
They Will Kill You comes from New Line Cinema and Nocturna, and was released by Warner Bros.
The film follows a young woman (Beetz), who lands a housekeeping job at a fancy New York City high-rise. She ends up trapped inside the building’s locked doors, and is forced to fight for her life while being hunted by a demonic cult headquartered in the building.
The cast also includes Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Heather Graham (Bowfinger), Patricia Arquette (Severance), Myha’La (Bodies Bodies Bodies), and Paterson Joseph (Wonka).
Kirill Sokolov directed the film from a screenplay co-written by Sokolov and Alex Litvak.
Moviegoers gave the thriller a “B-” CinemaScore in exit polling.
Meanwhile, critics handed it a 65% score out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes. Many praised Beetz’s performance, but said the movie suffered from a “thinly plotted” script and was too “derivative” of other horror films.
Although Carla Hay of Culture Mix thought the film “stylishly shows how a tough vigilante battles against a wealthy cult of immortal devil worshippers.”
Zachary Lee of TheWrap described the film as a “rare gift.”
They Will Kill You cost a reported $20 million to produce, plus marketing costs, and could still break even.
As mentioned, Project Hail Mary came in first place this weekend. Pixar’s animated Hoppers took second place in its fourth weekend with $12.2 million Friday through Sunday, Comscore reported.
They Will Kill You slightly edged the Indian action epic Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which earned $4.8 million in its second weekend for a fourth place finish.
Fifth place went to the romantic drama Reminders of Him, with $4.7 million in its third weekend.
Take a look at the box office chart below from Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends:
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