There is no drama in Don’t Worry Darling, which opens with $19.2 million
The Warner Bros. release of Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling has debuted at No. 1 at the box office, taking in $19.2 million, according to studio estimates.
A storm of controversies surrounded the film Don’t Worry Darling, starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, ranging from Pugh’s alleged strained relationship with Wilde to Styles’ alleged spitting on co-star Chris Pine at the Venice Film Festival premiere. Styles denied the allegation.) The movie, too, was heavily panned by critics (38% fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes) and arrived in theaters with more baggage than any release in recent memory.
The film’s $19.2 million launch was an excellent result for an original film that cost $35 million to produce. Numerous moviegoers, including several Styles fans, attended the screening.
However, Don’t Worry Darling, which opened in 4,113 theaters, didn’t fare much better. It received a B- CinemaScore from audiences, and ticket sales plummeted on Saturday after better results on Thursday and Friday. Warner Bros. reported a 66% female audience. A total of $10.8 million was generated internationally for the film.
According to Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.’ distribution chief, “the background noise had a neutral impact.” The studio is pleased with the results due to our modest production budget.
Don’t Worry Darling appears to be struggling to maintain its audience ratings and ticket sales in the coming weeks. Wilde’s film, however, did not turn into the complete disaster some predicted it would become as a result of its good-enough debut.
Comscore’s senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian suggested that, ultimately, bad publicity helped Wilde’s follow-up to Booksmart, her directorial debut.
As a result of the increased awareness and mainstream press coverage of Olivia Wilde’s latest film Don’t Worry Darling, it became the virtual water cooler film of the moment and its FOMO factor soared to new heights, resulting in significant box office performance,” said Dergarabedian.
There was a modest decrease of 42% for the Sony Pictures release, indicating the film’s resiliency. Sony Pictures’ action drama suffered a modest decline of 42%, demonstrating its resilience.
