The sci-fi thriller Afraid was off to a grim start at the domestic box office, earning less than $1.5 million. Following the subdued start on opening day, Afraid is projected to rank at no. 9 during its debut weekend.
The AI horror, which follows John Cho and Katherine Waterston as a married couple whose AI-assisted household begins to wreak havoc on the family, recorded a disastrous $400k in Thursday previews.
The Chris Weitz-directed feature also received blistering reviews. It has a 23 per cent critic score on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. FandomWire wrote, “Afraid cannot find a bridge to connect its misguided ambition with popcorn cinema sensibilities, resulting in a fairly mundane and uneven experience.”
The film also failed to impress the audience. Afraid has a Rotten 49 per cent audience score and a C+ grade from the research firm Cinema Score. The negative reviews were reflected in the film’s opening-day box office performance. Afraid earned $1.3 million across its opening day, including $400,000 from previews.
In the wake of the dismal start, the film is gearing up to land the number 9 spot at the domestic box office on its opening weekend. AfrAId is expected to earn $4M at the end of the four-day Labor Day weekend. The film scores below new entry Reagan, which ranked #4 with $2.6 millionstart and $9 million in Labor Day weekend earnings.
Afraid also failed to beat last week’s entries, Blink Twice and The Forge, which ranked #6 and #7 at the Labor Day weekend box office (via Deadline). Blink Twice earned $1.3 million on its second Friday and is expected to rake in $6.6 million at the end of the four-day Labor Day weekend. Meanwhile, The Forge is projected to earn $6.2 million. Early summer release Despicable Me 4 took the eighth spot with $5 Million.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.
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