The Sydney Sweeney-starring Immaculate has broken a major opening weekend box office record for studio NEON. The independent film studio has had massive success with its low-to-mid-budget movies, with many of its titles nominated for Academy Awards, including Parasite, Triangle of Sadness, and, most recently, Anatomy of a Fall, with the former ultimately winning the Best Picture Oscar in 2020. Michael Mann’s Ferrari previously held a record for the studio’s highest-grossing opening weekend when it grossed over $3.9 million at the domestic box office during its Christmas 2023 release.

According to BoxOfficeReport and Erik Davis on Twitter/X, Immaculate has now accumulated the highest-grossing opening for NEON, with a $5.3 million debut in domestic theaters.

With a reported budget of $9 million, the movie has already made half of its money back and is on track to be one of the biggest independent successes of the year so far, even if its opening may not be as initially impressive as one may think.

Immaculate landed at no. 4 on the chart, and came in behind new release Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ($45.2 million, per Davis) and holdover Dune: Part 2, which passed $240 million domestically.

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Sydney Sweeney’s Record-Breaking Box Office Power Continues

While Immaculate‘s opening may not sound huge, it’s notable for NEON, which has followed a more mainstream path in recent years as it seeks to appeal to a broader range of audience members. Though made on a small budget and by an independent studio, Immaculate seems to fit into the category of indie movies that can become more mainstream, with a highly commercial star as a main draw for its marketing campaign. That element in particular proves the continued record-breaking box office power held by Sweeney, who has recently become a major Hollywood star.

Her last considerable success, 2023’s Anyone but You, broke several box office records during its run. While its opening wasn’t as strong as projections made it out to be, the movie made more money through each subsequent weekend and became a sleeper hit. It became the first romantic comedy to cross the $100 million mark at the domestic box office since Bridget Jones’ Baby and the highest-grossing William Shakespeare adaptation since Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, as the film is loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing.

Immaculate‘s box office success may follow a similar path to Anyone but You, whose word of mouth led to stronger results after its opening weekend. While the critical reception to the Sweeney horror movie has been polarizing, it isn’t leaving audiences indifferent, which NEON has embraced through its inventive social media marketing, utilizing pull quotes from audience members who did not like it on posters. Time will tell how much Immaculate will make during its box office run, but it could become one of the highest-grossing independent films of the year.

Source: Various (see above)