The dystopian action flick Civil War defied expectations with a smash box office opening this weekend, netting $25.7 million and becoming indie distributor A24’s biggest debut in history. The movie, starring Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny, follows a group of journalists trekking across a war-torn America clearly inspired by the Trump presidency and Jan. 6 insurrection. It was the subject of much internet confusion when the first trailer dropped—people couldn’t get over the film’s decision to ally Texas and California—but drew large audiences from both the West Coast and the South this weekend. The project was a big bet for A24 as well, with a $50 million budget that made it the company’s most expensive production to date. Director Alex Garland told The Daily Beast he was interested in how people engage in disagreement, but didn’t rule out the influence of current American politics. “My focus was often on the tone of how something was said. I would not say the film is non-political, and I wouldn’t say it excludes parallels,” he said.
