Civil War Becomes A24’s Highest Grossing Opening Weekend

Indie studio A24 had a big weekend with their new film from the director behind 28 Days Later and Ex Machina.

Alex Garland's Civil War opened to $25.7 million at the domestic box office, becoming the studio's highest-grossing opening weekend ever. Not only that, Civil War is now A24's first-ever film to rank #1 at the domestic box office.

Related: Civil War Review: Ahead of Its Time and Years Too Late

A24 was founded in 2012 and has since released Oscar-winning films such as Moonlight and Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is the studio's highest-grossing film of all time, racking up $143.4 million at the global box office despite opening to just $501,305 at the domestic box office. It went on to win Best Picture in 2023 and secured Michelle Yeoh her first-ever Oscar nomination and win.

Civil War was projected to open somewhere in the range of $15 to $20 million and has exceeded expectations. The $25.7 million figure doesn't include worldwide takings.

Garland's film became the studio's most expensive film to date, too, costing $50 million to make.

Related: Details on New Film From Civil War Director Revealed

Premiering at the SXSW Film Festival, Civil War has had the word-of-mouth edge since critics left the screening divided. Despite initial opinions seeming 50/50, the film has a Certified Fresh rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes from 252 reviews.

Garland has said Civil War may be the last film he solo directs, but his next project, Warfare, will see him co-write and co-direct with Ray Mendoza.