Box Office: 'The First Purge' Scares Up $2.5M in Tuesday Night Previews

The horror pic is opening everywhere on July 4 to get a jump on 'Ant-Man and the Wasp.'

Dystopian horror pic The First Purge scared up $2.5 million in Tuesday night previews before unfurling everywhere on July 4, ahead of Friday's debut of Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Marking the fourth installment in Universal and Blumhouse's successful horror franchise, The First Purge is targeting a $25-$30 million Wednesday-Sunday launch. Platinum Dunes is also a producer on the series.

In July 2016, The Purge: Election Year debuted to $31.5 million in July 2016 after earning $3.6 million in Thursday night previews (that film opened on a Friday).

The First Purge is a prequel explaining the origins of the annual "Purge," a 12-hour period during which it's legal to commit any crime, including murder. But what begins as an experiment to stop the crime rate takes a different course when "purgers" go into low-income neighborhoods. Tracking shows the movie appealing to younger, diverse moviegoers.

Gerard McMurray directed The First Purge from a script by James DeMonaco, who wrote and helmed the first three films. Y'Lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Jovian Wade, Luna Lauren Velez and Marisa Tomei star in the prequel, which also launches this week in its first 27 international marke

Disney and Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp opens everywhere Friday, following Thursday evening previews. If tracking is correct, the follow-up should buzz to $75 million-$85 million its domestic debut, ahead of the $57.2 million launch of Ant-Man in summer 2015.

(Original source)