Summary

• Civil War's box office success sets new record for A24's biggest opening weekend, suring Hereditary by doubling its numbers.
• Everything Everywhere All At Once had a different release strategy leading to a significantly lower box office opening compared to Civil War.
• Civil War may struggle to beat Everything Everywhere All At Once's overall box office due to polarizing reviews, lack of international release.

A24 has a sizable hit with Alex Garland's movie, released in 2024, carries the biggest budget for any A24 production, as it reportedly cost $50 million to make. That sizable price tag automatically means greater box office expectations for Civil War if it is going to recoup the studio's investment.

Civil War's box office is all the more notable considering how well A24 has managed to do with different movies in recent years. 2019 saw Uncut Gems become the studio's top-grossing movie domestically, while Hereditary held the worldwide A24 box office record after 2018. Both records fell upon Everything Everywhere All At Once's box office performance and the incredible legs the film managed to have. Civil War's box office is off to an incredible start, putting it in a conversation with A24's highest grossing movies. Here's how it compares to the best of the studio's offerings.

Civil War Had A24's Biggest Opening Weekend Box Office

It Nearly Doubled A24's Previous Record

A24 found immediate box office success with Civil War's release. The movie easily won its opening weekend, beating Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire in its third weekend. This came as Civil War's opening weekend box office hit $25.7 million over the three-day weekend. That entire total is already better than most A24 movies make throughout their entire theatrical runs. This includes suring the complete domestic total of Alex Garland's movie Ex Machina, which made $25.4 million in 2015.

Civil War's $25.7 million set a new record for A24's biggest opening weekend in the studio's history. It sured the record previously set by Hereditary's $13.5 million opening. Ari Aster's horror movie held onto the record for six years before Civil War sured it. The mark is even more impressive considering Civil War nearly doubled Hereditary's opening weekend. That puts A24's new opening weekend record in a completely different category than the studio's previous releases at the box office. It also should be a good sign for the film's potential to retain business going forward.

Civil War's Opening Weekend Easily Beat Everything Everywhere All At Once

Everything Everywhere All At Once Had A Very Different Release

Civil War's record-setting opening weekend is far beyond anything that Everything Everywhere All At Once did. However, this is largely due to the films' completely different release strategies. Civil War debuted in a massive wide release aided by its IMAX screenings, which resulted in the film playing in over 3,800 theaters domestically. A24 had a certain amount of confidence in Alex Garland's movie doing well at the box office, but that was not the case for Everything Everywhere All At Once. The sci-fi/action film had a limited release that added more theaters over its first month of release.

This means that Everything Everywhere All At Once's opening weekend box office haul was technically $501,305, as it only played in 10 theaters. The most it ever made in a single weekend was over Easter weekend in 2023. Everything Everywhere All At Once made $7.1 million domestically during that four-day weekend, finishing in third place. The movie never finished higher than this spot throughout its entire theatrical run. However, theater expansions, extra attention from the Oscars, and more helped propel Everything Everywhere All At Once's box office to $77.1 million domestically and $144.4 million worldwide; both are A24 records.

Will Civil War Beat Everything Everywhere All At Once's Box Office For A24?

Alex Garland's Movie Will Need Strong Legs

Although Civil War is well past Everything Everywhere All At Once's box office at the same point, it has a tough path to actually becoming A24's biggest movie overall. The 2022 movie was aided by its rewatchability and incredible word-of-mouth that helped retain interest. Civil War's politics inherently make it more polarizing, and while reviews are positive, they are not the same level of praise heaped upon Everything Everywhere All At Once. It is still very early on, and the lack of Civil War's international release to this point means that the film's standing among A24's highest grossing movies could greatly change.

That said, Civil War beating Everything Everywhere All At Once at the box office is unlikely. There is a slim chance that Garland's movie will maintain enough interest to leg out to beating the action film domestically. However, it will take Civil War having more appeal internationally than expected for it to really challenge Everything Everywhere All At Once. Finishing second to the film in A24's list of highest grossing movies will still be a major accomplishment, though, if Civil War can watch its box office climb high enough.