Box Office: ‘Barbarian’ Takes a Stab at No. 1 in Quiet Week

Ethan Shanfeld
·2 min read
2

Can Zach Cregger’s slasher film “Barbarian” scare up enough ticket sales to top the domestic box office?

Though it is a quiet week, with only one other major release — the Indian Hindi-language action-adventure “Brahmastra Part One: Shiva” — the horror film edged out box office mainstays on Friday as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Bullet Train” fought to retain their hold at the top of the charts.

“Barbarian” took home $3.8 million on Friday, with a projected $9 million over the weekend. Trailing behind is “Brahmastra,” which opened with $2 million, a number that is estimated to grow to $3.6 million by Sunday.

A month after its release, “Bullet Train” continues to sell tickets. The Brad Pitt-starring action pic is poised to add another $3.3 million to its haul this weekend. After winning the Labor Day weekend, “Top Gun: Maverick” slid down to fourth place, with a three-day estimate of just under $3 million, a 51% decrease from the quiet long weekend.

“Barbarian’s” early dominance, humble as it is, is a welcome sight to moviegoers looking for a new thrill. Variety‘s Peter Debruge, for one, called “The Barbarian” a “new horror classic,” writing: “A simple premise involving a double-booked vacation rental gets downright demented as it goes along in Zach Cregger’s unpredictable and thoroughly enjoyable debut.”

In an interview with Variety, Cregger — who comes from the comedy world as part of sketch group Whitest Kids U’Know — teased that the plot advertised in its trailer is not the one viewers will see in theaters.

“That’s not to say it’s a bait and switch or false advertising, but there’s just no way you could know what’s coming,” Cregger said.

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.