The Quiet Place was that increasingly rare movie that takes a completely original concept and with it is able to grab hold of an audience and not let go. The film was a box office hit making almost $200 million domestically and nearly $350 million around the world. The film's overall success was something of a shock, but now it has spawned a sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, and with sequels, come raised expectations.
When A Quiet Place Part II was given the green light, that was done with expectations that a sequel would do as well or better at the box office, and the early tracking is good news for the studio, as that's exactly what it looks like we're going to get. While the original A Quiet Place grossed a respectable $50 million during its opening weekend, the sequel is expected to exceed that, with a low end projected take of $60 million, and a high end number around $80 million.
That's a significant boost over the opening that A Quiet Place II saw, though BoxOfficePro suggests that these numbers signify a stronger front loading of the total business, rather than an overall increase. A Quiet Place, because it was an original idea that people weren't familiar with, had a decent opening, but then it found its real success in the word of mouth that built up afterward. After the first audiences were wowed by the experience, they told their friends to go see it, and the movie had a longer, more sustained, run at the box office than most films, that see the bulk of their business up front, and then crash hard.
Now, it's a known quantity, and that simply means more people are going to rush to the theater to see it early. This means that while the opening weekend might be looking better, it doesn't mean that A Quiet Place Part II will exceed the box office of the original overall, as it will likely see a stronger week to week drop in business than the first film did.
The sequel also looks to be at least somewhat different that the original in that there's a lot more action on display in the trailers. It's possible that might actually turn audiences off. The hook the first time around was the film's focus on absolute quiet, a concept that made seeing the film theatrically especially fun, assuming you found yourself with the right crowd. It's possible the sequel might feel less like something that needs to be seen in a theater because that element of the audience experience may not be as strong.
Whether A Quiet Place Part II is able to exceed its predecessor or not, it's still early and projected numbers will likely change, it does seem clear the new movie will be a success and do some strong box office business. With a new TV spot airing during the Super Bowl, buzz will likely go up and these projections might even increase.
