Jordan Peele's 'Get Out' follow-up moved its release date away from 'Captain Marvel,' and that's beneficial for both movies

Jordan Peele's "Us" will now open on March 22, a week later than originally scheduled.
That moves it further away from expected hit, "Captain Marvel," which comes to theaters March 8.
Peele's last movie, "Get Out," was a box-office sensation. Distancing the two movies is beneficial for both, BoxOffice.com chief analyst Shawn Robbins told Business Insider.

Writer and director Jordan Peele's follow-up to "Get Out, called "Us," is distancing itself from another highly anticipated blockbuster, "Captain Marvel."

Universal moved the release date for "Us" this week from March 15 to March 22. As Exhibitor Relations tweeted on Thursday, that gives "Captain Marvel" — the next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that opens March 8 — a "free pass to rule the box office" for at least two weeks.

"Us" stars Lupita Nyong'o and Winston Duke as a couple that brings their children to a summer beach house. But their vacation is interrupted by violent doppelgangers.

Peele's last movie, "Get Out," was a box-office sensation in 2017, and grossed $255 million worldwide off of a $4.5 million production budget. Peele won the best screenplay Oscar last year for the film.

captain marvel

Universal likely hopes to replicate the success of "Get Out," and moving it as far away from "Captain Marvel" is a safe bet. Pre-sale tickets for "Captain Marvel" outpaced "Captain America: Civil War" in the first 24 hours at online-ticketing service Fandango, only behind last year's "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War."

Moving the "Us" release date is beneficial for both movies, BoxOffice.com chief analyst Shawn Robbins told Business Insider.

"'Captain Marvel' is breaking an important glass ceiling for Marvel and looks poised to deliver blockbuster-level numbers," Robbins said. "'Us' could similarly capture cultural intrigue as Jordan Peele's follow-up to 'Get Out.' If audiences respond well to both films, they'll be able to co-exist and dominate the box office in March."

If both movies do succeed, it could be a good sign early on for this year's box office after a record-breaking 2018, when the North American take was nearly $12 billion.

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