BOX OFFICE: “Inside Out” rules, “Quiet Place: Day One” makes $50+ million noise, Costner’s “Horizon” clears $11

The stunning “Barbie” meets “Super Mario Bros” box office domination by “Inside Out 2” continues on this last weekend before July 4, as Pixar’s animated world-beater (Closing in on a $billion, maybe by July 6?) roared through Friday and looks to take in another $57.4 million this weekend.

Can the “Minions” slow its roll? Earlier predictions pointed to a $60 million take, so this sweet, smart but far less fun sequel does seem to be slacking off, just a tad, as “Minions” roll in July 3.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” back-engineers John Krasinski’s horror/creature feature blockbusters with a new cast and “origin story” of the Day the sound-sensitive monsters dropped in. Lupita Nyong’o stars, and the Oscar winner has a blockbuster on her hands — $53 million opening weekend, according to @thenumbers.com. Deadline.com had been projecting $48.

Good reviews are helping both of these smash hits. As I said in my review of “Quiet Place 3,” it seems unnecessary, and a bit unambitious because of that. There certainly is no need for another installment. But as it sets the FRANCHISE RECORD for opening weekends, you can bet Paramount is pipelining more sequels after this prequel. It opened to $99 million worldwide.

Which means? Bet on another Spiders from Space “Quiet Place” installment and soon.

Better reviews might have boosted Kevin Costner’s sprawling, over-titled “Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1.” It plays like a streaming series, three hours of Old West tropes, archetypes and cliches, served up in multiple episodes following four points of view — including, to some degree, the Native American one.

It’s appealing to the “Yellowstone” crowd, and enough of them (an older, whiter audience) are showing up — $11 million this weekend, per @thenumbers — to make it worth New Line’s while to put this into theaters. “Chapter 2″ will arrive in August. Deadline.com projected it’d earn $13 million because of its slow-to-get-out older audience. Sunday Costner/Western’Yellowstone” AARP member fans will be key as to whether it reaches that high.

Thirteen million for a non-sequel, older-audience-skewing three hour Western is “respectable.” Eleven million? Right on the cusp of “bomb” (See “Bikeriders.” Or don’t. Nobody else did.). Costner’s promised two more films in this franchise, which seems like a natural fit for a New Line to say HBO Max pipeline.

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” is still collecting Top Five cash, over $11 million this weekend, heading towards about $188 million in North America by the time its run winds down.

An Indian sci-fi thriller about a dystopian, class-divided future in which only a hero can save us from the oligarchs, “Kalki 2898 AD” is reaching the diaspora, engaging critics and the Indo-curious to the tune of $6.5 million.

“The Bikeriders” lost its place in the top five, tumbling to a mere $3.3 million, according to @TheNumbers. That’s a steep 66% drop from its opening weekend, almost a Tyler Perry Movie Swoon of a second weekend (70% or more).

Emma and Yorgos and Willem et al’s “Kinds of Kindness” cracked the Top Ten. Wouldya look at that.

About Roger Moore

Movie Critic, formerly with McClatchy-Tribune News Service, Orlando Sentinel, published in Spin Magazine, The World and now published here, Orlando Magazine, Autoweek Magazine
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