Summary
IFhas passed a major domestic box office milestone. The new movie, which was directed by John Krasinski, stars Ryan Reynolds as Cal, a man who can see imaginary friends and teams up with his neighbor Bea (Cailey Fleming) to help reunite them with the children who dreamed them up. The cast also includes Krasinski, Fiona Shaw, and the voices of Steve Carell and Awkwafina. TheIFreleasegot off to an inauspicious start when it opened to $33.7 million, barely making a dent in its reported $110 million budget.
PerDeadline, theIFbox office has now surpassed a major domestic milestone during its fifth weekend in theaters. As of Saturday, the movie is projected to earn a 3-day total of $3.6 million by the end of Sunday, bringing its cumulative domestic total to $101 million. This will make it the seventh 2024 movie to pass the $100 million milestone afterInside Out 2, the animated Pixar sequel that debuted this weekend and is projected to open with more than $140 million.
IF Still Isn’t A Hit Despite This Box Office Milestone
The Family Movie Comes With A Huge Price Tag
While the movie enters rarefied air by passing this milestone, it’s probably stillfar from being considered a box office hit. Possibly because of the heavy need for CGI effects and the stackedIFcast, the movie comes with a reported $110 million budget. Generally, theaters keep half of ticket sales, meaning that movies need to earn at least twice their production budgets to end up in the black, which likely makes the break-even point for the 2024 movie $220 million or more.
TheIFcast also includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Louis Gossett Jr., Matt Damon, Bill Hader, Keegan-Michael Key, Sam Rockwell, Brad Pitt, Maya Rudolph, Amy Schumer, and Jon Stewart as various imaginary friends.
The rule of thumb for break-even points also doesn’t factor in the cost of marketing. The publicity campaign for theIFmoviewas quite robust, including partnerships with major brands including Build-A-Bear and IHOP. Because of this,its break-even point could potentially reach $300 millionor considerably more. Even when its international grosses are taken into account, the movie has only earned roughly $170 million worldwide, which still falls considerably short of even the most conservative break-even estimate.
Considering the fact that it is already in its fifth weekend,IFlikely doesn’t have a shot of pushing its worldwide total much higher than the current gross. Many more blockbuster tentpoles have opened in theaters since its premiere, and it will be further pushed out of theaters by upcoming releases. The damage thatInside Out 2has already done to its competitor will likely be compounded by upcoming major releases includingA Quiet Place: Day One,Despicable Me 4, andTwisters.
IF
Cast
IF, originally titled Imaginary Friends, is a comedic fantasy film written and directed by John Krasinski. A young girl who experiences a tragic moment early in her life discovers she can see the imaginary friends of others who leave them behind as they grow older.
