The Olivia Wilde-directed thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles will top charts, debuting amidst a swirl of off-screen controversies.
It’s been a rambling, rocky odyssey to the release of “Don’t Worry Darling” — one involving canceled late-night appearances, rumors of production rivalries and conspiratorial frame-by-frame analysis of red carpet body language and an alleged loogie trajectory. But there was always going to be an opening weekend at the end of this road. And the numbers show that Olivia Wilde has directed a hit.
“Don’t Worry Darling” should have no trouble topping the domestic box office, projecting a $21 million debut from 4,113 theaters. The film earned $9.4 million from opening day and Thursday previews — a more-than-solid figure for an original film that carries a modest $35 million production budget.
With a star-studded cast, topped by Oscar nominee Florence Pugh and pop superstar Harry Styles, the film has stirred up enough excitement to convince fans to see how its mystery all plays out on the big screen. The audience is skewing heavily towards women, who composed 66% of opening day crowds.
Ticket buyers weren’t deterred by largely unimpressed reviews. The film carries a rather dismal 21% approval rating from top critics on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman wasn’t too hot on the film, though he did portend its ultimate popular success: “Between the pop ambition, the tasty dream visuals, and the presence of Harry Styles in his first lead role, ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ should have no trouble finding an audience.
