‘IF’ opens with $35 million to top box office chart

Image: IF movie website

LOS ANGELES – The family-friendly fantasy film “IF” opened with $35 million this weekend to lead all films in North America, according to industry estimates released Sunday.

Director John Krasinski’s film, which stars Ryan Reynolds and features the voices of Steve Carell, Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Emily Blunt, Bradley Cooper, Jon Stewart and George Clooney, beat out “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” which grossed $26 million Friday through Sunday one week after opening in first place, Comscore reported.

Third place went to the horror film “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” which opened with $12 million.

“The Fall Guy” took in $8.4 million in its third week, followed by “Challengers” with $2.9 million in its fourth weekend in theaters.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases were “Back to Black” ($2.8 million), “Tarot” ($2 million), “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” ($1.7 million), “The Blue Angels” ($1.3 million) and “Unsung Hero” ($1 million).

“IF” is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends — and what she does with that superpower — as she embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids.

“Bea (Cailey Fleming) is introduced to an IF retirement community located under a Coney Island carousel with a bevy of oddball personalities in the very kid-friendly middle section of the movie,” according to USA Today.

The film has the most starry supporting cast of any movie this summer, with A-listers voicing imaginary friends. The impressive list includes Emily Blunt and Sam Rockwell as the unicorn and superdog, Matt Damon as a helpful sunflower, George Clooney as a spaceman, Amy Schumer as a gummy bear and Bradley Cooper as an ice cube in a glass.

“Replacing a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by deadly monsters with a fantastical, lighthearted landscape populated with kind creatures, the succinctly-titled movie plays as more of a character study exploring various themes than a straightforward adventure tale,” according to Screen Rant. “How viewers will respond to it likely depends on the individual person, but there’s no doubt that Krasinski has a knack for world building.” (With CNS report)