'Get Out' scares up big $30.5M debut at box office

LOS ANGELES -- Great reviews and buzz propelled comedian Jordan Peele's directorial debut, the micro-budget thriller "Get Out," to a chart-topping opening weekend with $30.5 million according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Blumhouse-produced and Universal Pictures-distributed film cost an estimated $4.5 million to make.

While it was expected to perform well against its budget, few people foresaw a debut this big -- especially with a relatively unknown star in Daniel Kaluuya leading the film.

Part of the reason is positive reviews. "Get Out" has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is extremely rare for a thriller and only added to the excitement going into the weekend according to Universal's President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution Nick Carpou.

"Jordan Peele is an absolute talent," he said. "As we got closer and closer to opening, it's amazing how many people were rooting for it."

Peele, who most audiences know for his sketch comedy work on the series "Key & Peele," wrote and directed the film about a black man who travels upstate to meet his white girlfriend's family.

Even without Peele in the film, audiences turned out in droves to experience the high-concept horror pic.

According to exit polls, African Americans comprised an estimated 39 percent of the opening weekend audiences, while Caucasians made up 36 percent, and a whopping 49 percent were under the age of 25.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.

Final domestic figures will be released today.

1. "Get Out," $30.5 million.

2."The Lego Batman Movie," $19 million.

3."John Wick: Chapter Two," $9 million.

4."The Great Wall," $8.7 million.

5."Fifty Shades Darker," $7.7 million.

6."Fist Fight," $6.4 million.

7."Hidden Figures," $5.9 million.

8."La La Land," $4.6 million.

9."Split," $4.1 million.

10."Lion," $3.8 million.