Box Office: Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski’s ‘IF’ Makes $1.75 Million in Previews

John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds are imagining box office success this weekend.

Their new movie “IF,” which stands for and follows “imaginary friends,” has made $1.75 million in previews so far at the box office. The family-friendly Paramount film is on track to dethrone last week’s box office champ, Disney’s “The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.”

“IF” is projected to make around $40 million in its opening weekend, with some estimates lower at $35 million and others as high as $45 million. It’s a promising launch for a PG-rated, original movie, but it comes with a $110 million price tag, so it’ll need solid receipts at the global box office to turn a profit. The film is already tracking well with parents and kids, according to PostTrak, and it could use the absence of family movies in recent weeks to its advantage.

Krasinski wrote and directed the movie, which stars Reynolds and young star Cailey Fleming as two neighbors who can see people’s abandoned imaginary friends. Together, Cal (Reynolds) and Bea (Fleming) use their special powers to reunite the IFs with their kids. The cast includes Krasinski as Bea’s dad, plus a star-studded voice cast of Steve Carell, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Awkwafina, Amy Schumer and Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the imaginary friends.

On the horror front this weekend, Lionsgate is releasing “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” the first of a planned trilogy starring “Riverdale’s” Madelaine Petsch. It made $1.2 million in previews, and it’s looking to scare up between $7 million and $9 million in its opening.

Also opening is Focus Feature’s biopic “Back to Black,” about the life of Amy Winehouse. Marisa Abela plays the troubled singer, and the movie is expected to open with $4 million to $6 million. It made $375,000 in previews.