'A Quiet Place Part II' Reignites The Pandemic Box Office, 'Cruella' Follows With Spotty Opening

A Quiet Place Part II made a lot of noise at the box office this weekend. The John Krasinski-directed horror sequel shattered box office expectations with a record-breaking pandemic-time haul, but it was aided in part by the No. 2 performer, Cruella. However, there was a wide gap between A Quiet Place Part II and Cruella, suggesting that Disney's hybrid release on both Disney+ and in theaters may have hindered the Disney prequel's theatrical performance.A Quiet Place Part II has earned the distinction of being the first real hit of the pandemic box office this past weekend, with a $57 million (and counting) box office haul. For comparison, Godzilla vs. Kong was the first breakout film of pandemic times, grossing $48.1 million from Wednesday to Easter Sunday, or March 31 to April 4.

But Godzilla vs. Kong also received a unique rollout: a day-and-date release on HBO Max and in theaters. That style of release, along with lower vaccination rates, may have affected its overall box office opening, which may also be what's affecting the box office gross for this weekend's No. 2 performer, Disney's Cruella. Cruella may have taken the No. 2 spot behind A Quiet Place Part II, but it lags far behind, earning $21.3 million over the weekend and $26.5 million after the holiday. Those are still good pandemic numbers, but it's nearly half what A Quiet Place Part II earned. It may be because families opted to watch the Emma Stone-starring prequel at home, with the Disney+ Premiere Access $29.99 fee. Of course, Disney has those exact numbers under lock and key, so we have no idea if the film is a success or not. But these numbers do not bode well for Cruella's production costs either, which some outlets report are as high as $200 million. With that in mind, Cruella will need to make significant money internationally to make up costs.

Despite a spotty performance for Cruella and every other title beneath A Quiet Place Part II, it's clear that the box office is beginning to roar back to life amid the pandemic.