The R-rated comedy 'Blockers' earns $1.5 million on Thursday evening, while Ted Kennedy scandal pic 'Chappaquiddick' lags with $175,000.


Paramount's A Quiet Place, a high-concept horror-thriller directed by John Krasinski, earned a stellar $4.3 million in Thursday-evening previews, one of the best showings for a genre horror title and ahead of such recent hits as Annabelle: Creation ($4 million) and Insidious: The Last Key ($2 million).


The record-holder for best Thursday preview is It, which took in $13.5 million.


A Quiet Place came in well ahead of the $1.5 million preview number for the latest R-rated comedy from Universal, Blockers — although Blockers was no slouch. A Quiet Place rolled out in 2,740 locations Thursday night before expanding into a total of 3,508 locations on Friday. Blockers began its run Thursday in 2,650 cinemas before expanding into 3,379 theaters.


In addition to directing duties, Krasinski also stars in A Quiet Place opposite real-life wife Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. According to tracking, A Quiet Place should open in the $25 million range, possibly enough to unseat Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One, which heads into its sophomore weekend. Paramount needs a win after a troubled run at the box office.


A Quiet Place — sporting a 96 percent Rotten Tomatoes score — follows a family of four who must remain silent to ward off mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. The movie cost a modest $17 million to produce before marketing.


Helmed by screenwriter Kay Cannon in her feature directorial debut, Blockers is a raunchy, coming-of-age tale about a group of teenagers determined to lose their virginity on prom night. The big hitch: Their parents learn of their plan. Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and John Cena star alongside Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Indira Viswanathan and Gideon Adlon.


Blockers, with a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 82 percent, hopes to hit $20 million in its debut, a relatively strong showing considering the recent R-rated comedy slump.


Both Blockers and A Quiet Place staged their world premieres at the SXSW festival, as did Spielberg's Ready Player One, which debuted domestically last weekend to $41.8 million.


The two other films opening nationwide this weekend — Ted Kennedy scandal pic Chappaquiddick and The Miracle Season — are headed for far more modest openings.


Director John Curran's Chappaquiddick, recounting the 1969 car accident that forever damaged Kennedy's presidential aspirations, took in $175,000 in previews for a projected $2 million-$4 million debut. Chappaquiddick stars Jason Clarke as Kennedy and Kate Mara as Mary Jo Kopechne, the young political aide who was left to drown after Kennedy drove his car off a tiny bridge.


The film's Rotten Tomatoes score is currently 82 percent, while A Miracle Season's score is 33 percent.


The Miracle Season, directed by Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer), tells the inspirational story of a Midwestern volleyball squad dealing with the death of their team leader. Helen Hunt, William Hurt, Erin Moriarty and Danika Yarosh star. The film is tracking to open to $3 million.