'A Quiet Place' roars at box office with $50M debut

NEW YORK — John Krasinksi's "A Quiet Place" has opened with a thunderous $50 million in ticket sales for the year's second-best debut after "Black Panther."

The Paramount Pictures thriller far exceeded expectations to land one of the top opening weekends for a horror release. Directed by Krasinski, and starring him and real-life wife Emily Blunt, "A Quiet Place" is a badly needed hit for Paramount. It's the studio's best non-franchise opening since 2014's "Interstellar."

Steven Spielberg's virtual-reality adventure "Ready Player One" slid to second with $25.1 million in its second weekend.

The R-rated comedy "Blockers" also shrugged off a recent comedy slump in theaters for a solid $21.4 million debut. The film, about parents trying to keep their daughters from losing their virginity, stars Leslie Mann and John Cena.