Angel Studio’s “Young Washington” grossed more than $20.8 million during its opening weekend, eclipsing box office projections and toppling the studio’s previous live-action opening-weekend record, set by “Sound of Freedom.”
“Young Washington” ranked as the Utah-based studio’s second-highest opening of all time, trailing only the animated biblical picture “David,” which debuted at $22 million in December.
The film landed as the third-highest-grossing film over the holiday weekend, behind animated franchise giants “Minions & Monsters,” which brought in $36.4 million, and “Toy Story 5,″ which earned $31 million. It finished ahead of DC’s “Supergirl” and Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day.”
The historical war drama, which chronicles the early years of America’s first president, also delivered an opening weekend roughly double the genre average.
Following the film’s breakout success, “Young Washington” creator-director Jon Erwin announced he is already developing a sequel, a Revolutionary War epic titled “1776,” in response to fan enthusiasm.
“I’m going to answer the No. 1 question we’re getting about the movie right now,” Erwin said while in Mount Vernon, Washington’s riverside home. “We’ve shown it all over, and this one question keeps coming up — are you going to make another movie? Is there a follow-up on the life of George Washington?”
“We are working on another one right now,” he continued. “We have just begun writing another Revolutionary War epic on the year 1776, and if you think Washington’s big, wait for ’1776’ — it’s epic in every way. It’s another incredible chapter.”
“Hope you’re ready for ’1776.’ We’re writing right now.”
The film has drawn strong audiences response, earning a 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A on CinemaScore.
It also earned an endorsement from actor Chris Pratt.
“Get off your (expletive) and run to the movie theater,” Pratt said. “I’ve just seen ‘Young Washington’ ... I can’t believe it. It’s so good.”
“It’s like ‘The Revenant,’ it’s like ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ it’s like ‘Braveheart,’” he continued. “The story is freaking so cool.”
The film traces Washington’s journey from an ambitious surveyor to military officer. As he endures devastating personal losses, military setbacks and the consequences of inadvertently helping spark the French and Indian War, he confronts his limitations and learns from failure, gradually developing the qualities that would define his leadership.
Erwin took a personal interest in Washington about a decade ago, he previously told the Deseret News. With no initial intention of turning his fascination with the first president’s early history into a film, Erwin immersed himself in countless books about Washington.
He took a particular interest in Washington’s early life and found himself “awe-struck” by events from his formative years — events which shaped Washington into the man now emblazoned on the $1 bill and carved into Mount Rushmore.
“Washington was forged in things that we all identify with, but few of us endured through,” Erwin said. “He was forged in failure and hardship and grit and adventure and risk, and yet he kept going.”
“The idea that your failures don’t have to define you, and they can actually be your great teacher to what you will become, was very meaningful to me,” he continued. “I wanted to give that experience to the audience.”