Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling” earned $3.1 million at the Thursday night box office, opening in more than 3,300 venues before expanding to more than 4,000 theaters this weekend.
According to Warner Bros.’ screenings, the New Line Cinema film will gross $17 million from its opening weekend. Independent projections place that figure between 18 and 20 million dollars. His budget reportedly falls in the mid-$20 million range.
The psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles opens alongside Disney’s 2009 re-release of “Avatar,” a few months before its sequel “The Way of Water” hits theaters. David Bowie’s documentary “Moonage Daydream” expands after last week’s successful $1.6 million limited opening. Meanwhile, Viola Davis’ vehicle “The Woman King” continues to roll after its $19 million opening weekend.
Wilde’s first feature film, 2019’s “Booksmart,” earned $875,000 in Thursday previews and earned $8 million in its opening weekend. For another comparison, New Line’s 2018 horror thriller “The Nun” earned $5.4 million in Thursday box office previews. In September 2021, New Line released the horror film “Malignant” with a $5.4 million opening weekend.
“Don’t Worry Darling” is set in the 1950s Victory community, a utopian town built to house the men who work on the mysterious Victory Project and their families. Married couple Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) seemingly have it all, until Alice begins to question the nature of her reality and the true mission of the company and its cult CEO, Frank (Chris Pine).
The cast also includes Wilde, Gemma Chan, Kiki Layne, Kate Berlant, Nick Kroll, Sydney Chandler, Asif Ali, Douglas Smith, and Timothy Simons.
Wilde directs from a screenplay by “Booksmart” screenwriter Katie Silberman, based on a story by Silberman, Cary Van Dyke and Shane Van Dyke. The film is produced by Wilde, Silberman, Miri Yoon and Roy Lee. Executive producers are Richard Brener, Celia Khong, Alex G. Scott, Catherine Hardwicke, Carey Van Dyke, and Shane Van Dyke.
“Don’t Worry Darling” premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month to mixed reviews, with a current Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 35%. Audiences were much more enthusiastic, receiving the film with a score of 87%. It remains to be seen whether the behind-the-scenes controversy surrounding the film (including the feud between Wilde and Pugh and Spitgate) will help or hurt its box office performance.
