Alex Garland鈥檚 provocative 鈥� Civil War 鈥� didn鈥檛 only ignite the discourse. The film also inspired audiences to go to the cinemas this weekend where it surpassed expectations and earned $25.7 million in ticket sales in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It鈥檚 the biggest R-rated opening of the year to date and a record for A24, the studio behind films like 鈥淓verything Everywhere All At Once鈥� and 鈥淭he Iron Claw.鈥� 鈥淐ivil War鈥� also unseated 鈥淕odzilla x Kong 鈥� from its perch atop the box office. The titan movie from Warner Bros. had held the No. 1 spot for the past two weekends.

鈥淐ivil War,鈥� starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny as a front-line journalists in a near future covering a devastating conflict in the U.S. and trying to make their way to Washington, D.C. The story, written by Garland, who is also the mind behind 鈥淓x Machina鈥� and 鈥淎nnihilation,鈥� imagines a U.S. in which California and Texas have united against a president who has disbanded the FBI and given himself a third term.

Though entirely fictional, 鈥淐ivil War鈥� has been inspiring debates since the first trailer that have extended beyond the musings of film critics and traditional reviews. This weekend, The New York Times ran two opinion pieces related to the movie, one by Stephen Marche and another by Michelle Goldberg. There were also pieces on CNN and Politico.

Going into the weekend, projections pegged the film to debut in the $15 to $24 million range. The film opened on 3,838 screens in the U.S. and Canada, including IMAX. It鈥檚 the most expensive movie that the studio has ever made, with a production budget of $50 million, which does not account for millions spent on marketing and promotion.

Before 鈥淐ivil War,鈥� A24鈥檚 biggest debut was the Ari Aster horror 鈥淗ereditary,鈥� which opened to $13.6 million in 2018. A24 doesn鈥檛 always open films nationwide out of the gates. The studio said 鈥淐ivil War鈥� overperformed in markets 鈥渇rom LA to El Paso.鈥�

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Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press