Ryan Reynolds and Cailey Fleming star in John Krasinki’s’ ‘IF.’
Paramount Pictures
Writer-director John Krasinski‘s upcoming summer movie IF already looks like it will have plenty of friends when hitting theaters.
The Paramount movie is tracking to open to $40 million-plus, or a range of $38 million to $42 million, an impressive figure for an original family film. And based on raw data, some box office pundits believe it has a shot at $45 million to $50 million.
Unaided awareness is well above average, as well as interest and first choice. For Paramount, the tracking numbers show that the studio is able to keep to the job at hand, versus getting stymied by talks of a looming sale.
IF‘s cast list reads like a who’s who of top Hollywood stars, led by Ryan Reynolds.
The live-action/animated film tells the tale of young girl, played by Cailey Fleming, who is suddenly able to see people’s imaginary friends who have been left behind by the kids they used to assist. She learns that her neighbor (Reynolds) has the same gift. Together, they decide to try to reunite the “IFs,” as they are known, with their onetime pals.
The voice cast includes Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Louis Gossett Jr., Matt Damon, Maya Rudolph, Jon Stewart, Sam Rockwell, Sebastian Maniscalco, Christopher Meloni, Awkwafina, Blake Lively, George Clooney, Matthew Rhys, Bradley Cooper, Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key and Vince Vaughn.
The live-action cast is rounded out by Fiona Shaw, Alan Kim, Liza, Colón-Zayas and Bobby Moynihan.
IF hits theaters May 17, two weeks after Universal’s original film The Fall Guy opens. That movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is tracking to open in the $35 million range (Blunt, who is Krasinski’s wife, has double duty in May since she also voices one of the characters in IF).
Reynolds also has double duty this summer, between IF and Marvel’s July tentpole Deadpool & Wolverine. And Krasinski will be lending support to A Quiet Place: Day One, a spinoff of his blockbuster original horror franchise.
