In a surprising turn of events at the box office, "A Quiet Place: Day One" has made a significant impact, raking in a whopping $53 million in its domestic opening weekend. This prequel story in Paramount's post-apocalyptic horror series has exceeded the impressive debuts of its predecessors, with the original "A Quiet Place" starting at $50 million and the sequel "A Quiet Place Part II" debuting at $48 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the absence of John Krasinski, who directed the first two films, and Emily Blunt, who starred in them. Instead, Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn take the lead in "A Quiet Place: Day One," a thrilling tale set in the early stages of a New York City alien invasion.

Directed by Michael Sarnoski, this highly-anticipated prequel has garnered positive reception from both critics and audiences, earning an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a B+ on CinemaScore. With a production budget of $67 million, "A Quiet Place: Day One" is positioned well for a successful theatrical run.

On the other hand, the weekend's other new release, "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1," has faced a disappointing outcome. Despite its $100 million budget, this epic film revolving around the expanding Western frontier has collected a dismal $11 million from 3,334 theaters, landing in a distant third place on the domestic box office charts.

The film, featuring Kevin Costner, was hoping to capitalize on the success of his hit TV show "Yellowstone" and attract audiences from America's heartland. However, poor reviews and negative word-of-mouth have hindered its performance, with a 39% Rotten Tomatoes score and a B- CinemaScore. With a scheduled sequel, "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2," set to release in two months, Costner's ambitious movie series may face an uphill battle to regain momentum.

The disparity in success between "A Quiet Place: Day One" and "Horizon" highlights the importance of offering diverse options to cater to different audiences. Disney and Pixar's "Inside Out 2" continued its dominance in its third weekend of release, earning $57 million and bringing its total domestic gross to an impressive $469 million. It has also amassed $545 million internationally, making it the highest-grossing movie of the year with a global total of $1.015 billion.

Overall, the box office deficit for the year has shrunk from 21% to 19%, according to Comscore, thanks to the counterprogramming successes of films like "A Quiet Place: Day One" and "Inside Out 2". As the summer slate continues, upcoming releases such as "Despicable Me 4", "Twisters", and "Deadpool & Wolverine" are expected to add further excitement and variety to the theatrical marketplace.

In the midst of these contrasting fortunes, Sony's "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" holds steady in fourth place, bringing in $10.3 million in its fourth weekend and reaching a total gross of $165 million in North America and $332 million globally. While not surpassing the heights of its predecessor, "Bad Boys for Life" in 2020 ($426.5 million), the buddy-cop comedy series remains a strong performer.

As the film industry strives to recover from pandemic-related challenges, the success of "A Quiet Place: Day One" highlights the potential for spinoffs and prequels to captivate audiences, even in the absence of key franchise figures. Meanwhile, the disappointing performance of "Horizon" serves as a reminder that a compelling cinematic experience is crucial to attract and engage moviegoers.