Alex Garland’s Civil War marches onto the battlefield with nearly $3M in Thursday previews at the box office

Alex Garland’s Civil War could make A24 history by becoming the studio’s biggest earner out of the gate at the box office. The doom-tinged drama marched on $2.9M during Thursday night previews and could secure $20M throughout the weekend. Civil War gives A24 its best preview number, doubling Hereditary’s preview take of $1.3M. While theater owners and A24 are excited by the film’s early earnings, the film’s good fortune must continue to gain the project’s expenses back.

Civil War reportedly cost north of $50M, with an estimated $20M in promotional materials. Garland’s divisive film plays in 3,800 theaters, with IMAX screens as an additional option. Interestingly, reactions to the Civil War’s subject matter are mixed, with some viewers reporting disturbances in theaters as people get riled up. With social tensions in a fragile place within the United States, Garland’s film can send the wrong message to some. Garland says he wants the movie to be an eye-opener and conversation starter, though we’ll need to wait to see if his intended message is received. To find out what our editor-in-chief, Chris Bumbray, thought, read his review here.

In Civil War, “19 states secede from the United States, with factions forming in the West and Florida. Meanwhile, the President says the conflict will be dealt with swiftly, but are things already impossible to control? While some choose to engage with the catastrophe head-on, others prefer to pretend like it’s not happening right outside their door. As the President sends the American military out to “resolve” matters in the West, people are left to despair as the world burns around them. Meanwhile, Kirsten Dunst’s character appears to be leading a team of journalists toward the U.S. Capitol, presumably to get answers about how they plan to quell the ongoing violence.”

Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage’s Arcadian is looking at a low single-digit start. In Arcadian, a father and his twin teenage sons fight to survive in a remote farmhouse at the world’s end. Critics enjoyed the Benjamin Brewer-directed drama, but audiences could have been kinder.

As totals roll in, we’ll update you about Civil War‘s weekend box office numbers. In the meantime, will you go to the movies this weekend? I hope to catch Monkey Man or Civil War on Sunday, but we’ll see. Tell us about your theater plans in the comments section below.