AceShowbiz - "Nope" received warm welcome at the North American box office upon its arrival. The sci-fi horror film has debuted atop the chart with an estimated $44 million, a strong start yet slightly behind projections of $50 million.

Marking the third feature film from Jordan Peele, "Nope" sets the highest opening weekend tally for an original film since "Us" debuted more than three years ago. It, however, fails to follow the success of Peele's sophomore feature "Us", which in the aftermath of his Oscar-winning film "Get Out", opened to $71 million in 2019.

"The opening isn't as big as 'Us', but it's still extremely impressive," says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. "The weekend figure is far above average for the genre."

Universal's president of domestic distribution Jim Orr pointed out that "Nope" is appealing to all demographics. According to exit polls, 35% of ticket buyers were Caucasian, 20% were Hispanic, 33% were African American and 8% were Asian.

Optimistic that this is a good sign in terms of its theatrical run, Orr states, "We're thrilled with the results this weekend. Jordan Peele is an incredible talent. His films are layered and thought-provoking and ridiculously entertaining."

"Nope" reunited Peele with Daniel Kaluuya, who starred in "Get Out". Speaking to EW during "Nope's Around the Table", Peele said the movie "more than anything, is about the Hollywood mythology of the Wild West." He explained, "And not only the sugarcoating of the barbarism of it, but the erasure of the black cowboy. That's all wrapped up in this movie. In a lot of ways, it's about Hollywood."

Back to this week's chart, former champion "Thor: Love and Thunder" is forced down one spot to No. 2 with an estimated addition of $22.1 million to its domestic gross. "Minions: The Rise of Gru" also drops one slot to No. 3 with approximately $17.7 million.

"Where the Crawdads Sing" falls to the fourth place with an estimated $10.3 million, followed by "Top Gun: Maverick" which trails close behind with approximately $10 million.

Top 10 of North America Box Office (Jul. 22-24, 2022):

1. "Nope" - $44 million
2. "Thor: Love and Thunder" - $22.1 million
3. "Minions: The Rise of Gru" - $17.7 million
4. "Where the Crawdads Sing" - $10.3 million
5. "Top Gun: Maverick" - $10 million
6. "Elvis" - $6.3 million
7. "Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" - $3.9 million
8. "The Black Phone" - $3.4 million
9. "Jurassic World: Dominion" - $2.96 million
10. "Mrs Harris Goes to Paris" - $1.4 million