"Get Out" had a domestic box office total of $30.5 million as the twist on horror films based on race relations was the top money-maker among movies this past weekend.
The thriller was written and directed by Jordan Peele, half the comedy duo of Key & Peele, who have made their mark for their series on Comedy Central. While Peele is used to writing about racial issues, the horror genre is new, Variety noted.
The movie centers on an African-American man who finds out his girlfriend's liberal hometown has been hiding an evil secret, Variety reported. The film was another hit for Blumhouse Productions, which found success earlier this year with "Split," a thriller about a man with a personality disorder.
"Get Out," stars Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, and Catherine Keener.
Entertainment Weekly writer Joey Nolfi said "the film's inherently buzzy concept — an interracial couple retreats to the young woman's family home amid a mysterious community with a sinister secret — resonated with moviegoers at a time when social and political discourse largely revolves around issues of race."
"Universal indicates 'Get Out's' Friday-Sunday audience comprised an equal number of men and women (an even 50-50 split), with 39 percent of ticket buyers being African-American; 36 percent identified as Caucasian, while 17 percent were Hispanic. Polled moviegoers gave the film an A- grade on CinemaScore," Nolfi noted.
New York Times critic Manohla Dargis wrote that Peele made traditional horror devices work for a theme that has been rarely used in the genre.
"(Peele's) greatest stroke in 'Get Out,' though, is to have hitched these genre elements to an evil that isn't obscured by a hockey mask, but instead throws open its arms with a warm smile while enthusiastically (and strangely) expressing its love for President Obama," Dargis wrote.
According to comScore domestic box office ratings, "The Lego Batman Movie" followed "Get Out," making $19 million this weekend, followed by "John Wick: Chapter 2," $9 million; "The Great Wall," $8.7 million; "Fifty Shades Darker," $7.7 million; "Fist Fight," $6.4 million; "Hidden Figures," $5.9 million; "La La Land," $4.6 million; "Split," $4.1 million; and "Lion," $3.8 million.
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