IF Box Office Opening Stumbles, Hits Record Low For Director John Krasinski

John Krasinski’s new movie IF has stumbled out of the gate at the domestic box office and hit a record low for the writer-director. The release, which features an ensemble cast that includes Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., and Steve Carell, follows a little girl who can see imaginary friends (IFs) and embarks on a mission to reconnect them with the children who have forgotten them. The IF release was originally projected to earn an opening weekend of $40 million.

Per Variety, the IF box office is currently projected to take in a 3-day domestic opening weekend total of $31.5 million. In addition to being almost $10 million below its initial projections, this is by far the lowest-grossing opening weekend of any of the three wide-release movies that Krasinski has directed. The other two were the 2018 horror movie A Quiet Place ($50.2 million) and its 2021 sequel ($47.5 million), both of which were PG-13 as opposed to the new movie’s PG rating and thus had a slightly more limited audience.

Will IF Make Its Money Back?

The John Krasinski Movie Cost $110 Million

This disappointing domestic opening weekend may have been the result of lukewarm IF reviews that landed the movie a 49% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes despite featuring a recognizable cast that centers an A-list star. Whatever the reason, it makes the possibility of the movie earning a profit seem quite daunting. The family feature comes with a production budget of $110 million before factoring in publicity costs, which likely makes its break-even point $220 million or more considering the fact that movie theaters generally keep half of ticket sales.

This isn’t necessarily an impossible number to reach, as the past year has been littered with examples of family movies that had lukewarm openings but eventually became sleeper hits. This includes the animated movie Migration, which had the lowest-ever opening weekend for Illumination Entertainment but went on to become the 18th highest-grossing movie of the year worldwide. Below, see a breakdown of some of the most prominent 2023 family movies that had strong grosses despite disappointing domestic opening weekends:

IF had a stronger opening weekend than any of those 2023 movies, so if its total worldwide gross follows their lead, the movie could earn something between $200 and $500 million by the end of its run. If it landed at the higher end of that range, it would be an incontestable hit. However, it remains to be seen how it performs in the coming weeks, especially as it faces off against competition from other upcoming family blockbusters including The Garfield Movie and Inside Out 2.

Source: Variety

IF (2024)

IF, originally titled Imaginary Friends, is a comedic fantasy film written and directed by John Krasinski. A young girl who experiences a tragic moment early in her life discovers she can see the imaginary friends of others who leave them behind as they grow older.

Release Date

May 17, 2024

Studio(s)

Sunday Night Productions , Maximum Effort

Distributor(s)

Paramount Pictures

Cast

Ryan Reynolds , John Krasinski , Cailey Fleming , Steve Carell , Matt Damon , Emily Blunt , Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Vince Vaughn , Sam Rockwell , Maya Rudolph , Jon Stewart , Awkwafina

Runtime

107 minutes

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