There are three ways to determine the success of a new film. First of all - look at it's score on Rotten Tomatoes because of the keyboard warriors and that. Next, check how much it made in its opening weekend - bit of a no brainer. Finally, how much popcorn did you have in the bag at the end?
It turns out Jordan Peele's new movie Us has come out on top following it's release on 22 March. Not only did many people leave their cinematic snack to one side for the fear of chucking it over themselves but it raked in a whopping $70 million (£53.1m) in the opening weekend.
This financial success means that the film received the biggest ever opening for an original horror.
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As well as holding a 94 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Us passed 2018's A Quiet Place which bagged $50m (£37.9m) in its first weekend, according to NME.
The new release follows the story of a woman called Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) and her family, who, following a trip to the beach, are met by a group of menacing figures who are identical mirror images of the happy family.
Reviewing the film, Joe Morgenstern, from The Wall Street Journal, wrote: "It's compulsory seeing for everyone who loves the horror genre, the movie medium and the notion of saying sage things about contemporary life without straying from entertainment's twisty path."
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Steve Crum of Video-Reviewmaster.com echoed those thoughts, saying: "You know a movie is really scary when audience members at the preview keep yelling at the screen, 'Don't open that door!' and 'Look out!' (I didn't say such, but I sure thought it.)"
Meanwhile, Rene Sanchez of Cine Sin Fronteras added: "Lupita Nyong'o's powerhouse performance finds its equal in Jordan Peele's masterful storytelling. A horror tale that confronts us with the social problems that lie beneath the surface."
Us is Peele's first film after his 2017 smash Get Out - which told the story of Chris (played by Daniel Kaluuya) going to meet his girlfriend Rose's (Allison Williams) parents for the first time.
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It's awkward from the get-go, as he encounters some incredibly weird people in upstate New York, gradually exposing the racial tension at the heart of modern American society.
Speaking to NPR, Peele explained why he makes horror films, saying: "I think it is connected to getting over my own fears: my fears growing up, my fears as a kid watching movies. I'd always - I'd watch these commercials for the Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown books and I would freak out. But I would want it.
"And I had this weird love-hate where I would... if I got to sneak a horror movie at a friend's house, there was nothing more I would want to do.
"And then of course it would keep me up at night... and watching [horror movies] does that for me to an extent. But creating them, I think, helps me deal with fear and makes me feel stronger and braver."
Featured Image Credit: Universal PicturesTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Horror, Horror film, Universal Pictures, US
