John Krasinski’s IF (short for Imaginary Friends) is out now in theatres. This latest fantasy comedy is a blend of live-action and animation. Apart from helming this one, Krasinski also wrote and co-produced it. The film follows neighbours Cal (Ryan Reynolds) and Bea (Cailey Fleming), who have the ability to see other people’s IFs (Imaginary Friends). While Bea’s father (Krasinski) is in the hospital, she starts working with Cal to reunite abandoned IFs with their former kids.
According to early box office predictions, IF may end up collecting nearly $35-40 million domestically (Canada and the United States) from 4,000 theatres in its opening weekend. This scenario looks promising. However, a lot depends upon the film’s foreign collections, considering the film’s massive budget, which stands at $110 million.
IF’s path to success will not be easy, considering the upcoming releases of George Miller’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth) and Mark Dindal’s The Garfield Movie (led by Chris Pratt). The former movie received an 8-minute standing ovation at Cannes 2024 and has received acclaim from critics. This scenario may favour Furiosa, which can make things hard for IF.
In addition, IF’s mixed critical reception may adversely impact its global box office collections. At present, the film has a ‘rotten’ 52% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 100 certified reviews. Early reactions have praised the film’s visuals, characters, and performances. However, they have criticised its over-melodramatic tone and storyline, which according to many does not offer anything new to viewers.
Check out some of the early reactions towards John Krasinski’s IF!