Nope scares up $6.4 million in Thursday night previews

Jordan Peele’s third film, Nope, got started in Thursday night previews last night, and it’s off to a pretty good start.

Nope grossed $6.4 million in Thursday night previews last night that began at 4:00 PM from 3,250 locations, per Deadline. That’s about 14% off from the $7.4 million preview start for his last film Us back in March of 2019. Comparisons are tricky here. Us was coming off the grand success of Get Out, so there was a bit more of a rush to see what Peele was doing next. Us turned that $7.4 million preview night into a $71.1 million opening weekend, the best start for an R-rated original horror movie at the domestic box office. Nope’s preview performance is also far ahead of Get Out’s $1.8 million, which eventually led to a $33.3 million opening weekend.

I predicted a $65 million opening weekend for Nope, and that’s still very much in the cards. A lot of it will come down to word of mouth throughout the weekend. Social media response seems positive, but it also points to it being Peele’s most potentially divisive movie so far. Reviews are solid at 81% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing but the 79% audience score could indicate we’re headed towards mixed word of mouth from casual moviegoers. That being said, all three of Peele’s films are fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with Get Out scoring a 98% while Us sits with a 93%.

Did YOU see Nope last night?