Box office: Jordan Peele's 'Get Out' scares up $30.5M debut

LOS ANGELES — Great reviews and word of mouth propelled comedian Jordan Peele's directorial debut, the microbudget thriller Get Out, to a chart-topping opening weekend with $30.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Blumhouse-produced film cost an estimated $4.5 million to make. While it was expected to perform well, few people foresaw a debut this big — especially with relatively unknown star Daniel Kaluuya leading the film.

Part of the reason is positive reviews. Get Out has a strong 100% approval rating from critics at aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, which is extremely rare for a thriller and only added to the excitement going into the weekend, says Nick Carpou, Universal Pictures' president of domestic theatrical distribution.

Jordan Peele tackles horror of racism in 'Get Out'

"Jordan Peele is an absolute talent," he says. "As we got closer and closer to opening, it's amazing how many people were rooting for it."

Peele, who most audiences know for his sketch comedy work on Comedy Central's Key & Peele series, wrote and directed the film about a black man who travels upstate to meet his white girlfriend's family.

Even without Peele in the film, audiences turned out in droves to experience the high-concept horror movie. According to exit polls, African Americans comprised an estimated 39% of the opening weekend audiences, while Caucasians made up 36%. A whopping 49% were under age 25.

"Social media is going to keep this movie front and center," says Paul Dergarabedian, comScore senior media analyst, who predicts the film will have staying power.

Review: Give in to the fear factor of Jordan Peele's satirical 'Get Out'

Get Out effectively pushed The Lego Batman Movie into second place. The animated family picture added $19 million this weekend and is now up to $133 million after only three weeks in theaters.

Keanu Reeves' assassin sequel John Wick: Chapter 2 took third place with $9 million, while Matt Damon's period monster movie The Great Wall took fourth with $8.7 million — down 53% from its opening last week.

Erotic Fifty Shades of Grey follow-up Fifty Shades Darker, starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, rounded out the top five with $7.7 million, pushing the sexually charged drama past the $100 million mark in its third weekend.

Final figures are expected Monday.