The return of silence: "A Quiet Place: Day One" hits theatres
The first, "A Quiet Place", surprised viewers—the film, made for £13 million, earned over £253 million. The story, in which no one can speak or they will die, captivated audiences worldwide. The third instalment is now hitting theatres. What are the critics saying?
"A Quiet Place" is directed by John Krasinski, who also stars in the film alongside his real-life wife, Emily Blunt. Who can forget the scene where Blunt gives birth in a bathtub, holding back her screams, while a bloodthirsty alien monster climbs the stairs? So much happened in that scene!
The film, in which everyone must stay quiet, fascinated viewers globally, resulting in exact box office earnings of £288 million. A sequel was just a matter of time. Although it cost more, it earned less. Without John co-starring, Emily Blunt brought in £251 million from the box office for the second instalment. There are major surprises surrounding the third part of the series.
"A Quiet Place: Day One" in theatres
The third part of the series hits theatres on 26 June. Directed by Michael Sarnoski, Lupita Nyong'o plays the lead role this time. We will see how it all began—the initial moments of the alien invasion. As one can guess, all major catastrophes start in New York City. There, Sam (Nyong'o) will have to fight for survival.
According to "Deadline," the film is already breaking series records. The opening is expected to bring in £4 million. Although this may not seem like a large sum in Hollywood, it is the best opening result for films in the "A Quiet Place" series in recent years. The first film earned £3.6 million on its opening, and the second slightly more at £4 million.
Will the third instalment be the most profitable? Speculation suggests that "A Quiet Place: Day One" may bring in as much as £34 million during the opening weekend. This would surpass Kevin Costner's opus magnum - his "Horizon: Chapter One" is estimated to earn at most £10 million on its opening weekend. This would spell a huge financial flop.
Is it worth seeing the new "A Quiet Place"? The first reviews are in. A critic from "The Guardian" gives it 3 out of 5 stars and writes about a "suspense spectacle" with an interesting role by Lupita Nyong'o, who plays a terminal cancer patient. A reviewer from "Variety" notes that this is not a film for the faint-hearted. Although he is not one of them, and even though he cites one brutal scene, he adds: "Call me a fan of the macabre, but I expected much more carnage than what this terrifyingly sentimental spin-off by Sarnoski suggests. Almost all the scary shots it has to offer were already shown in the trailer," he says. He painfully states that the film is filled with nonsensical scenes - once again, we see a deserted New York, as if no one ever lived there.
Caryn James from the BBC also points out a "complete lack of common sense." "The charming ending of the film is proof that the director was focused on the theme of grief from the start, not on the monsters. This makes the creators forget about common sense and any suspense (...) As an emotional journey, the film has its moments, but as a horror, it is sloppy," she writes.
