Don't Worry Darling tops box office despite ongoing press drama

It seems director Olivia Wilde did not need to worry, darling, as her psychological thriller Don't Worry Darling topped the box office this weekend despite ongoing press about drama on set.

The film starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles debuted at No. 1 with $19.2 million across 4,113 theaters in North America, per Comscore. With $10.8 million earned internationally, the film brought in a global total of $30 million.

Pugh stars in the film as Alice, a 1950s housewife living with her husband Jack (Styles) in a utopian community called Victory. Encounters with fellow housewife Margaret (Kiki Layne) soon bring cracks to the façade, as Alice begins to worry that her husband's glamorous company is hiding dark secrets.

The thriller also stars Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Nick Kroll, Wilde, Sydney Chandler, and Timothy Simons. Kroll — who portrays Dean, Jack's co-worker and neighbor and husband of Wilde's character, Bunny — recently spoke to EW about the collaborative nature on set, revealing that one particular scene with Styles was improvised.

The actors share a quick peck on the lips in the opening scene of the thriller — a moment they also famously replicated on the red carpet at the film's world premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month. "We just went for it," Kroll said. "It was not like, 'Hey, in this next take, let's kiss.' It was spur of the moment. As it was, frankly, in Venice as well."

Kroll quipped, "But I definitely think my stock went up with my nieces and nephews. And every teenage girl and boy around the world."

The box office victory comes amidst 40 crew members releasing a joint statement that disputed reports of on-set tension between Wilde and star Pugh. "Any allegations about unprofessional behavior on the set of Don't Worry Darling are completely false," Writer and producer Katie Silberman, producer Miri Yoon, costume designer Arianne Phillips, and more said, dispelling rumors that Wilde and Pugh got into a "screaming match" on set.

Drama aside, female filmmakers reigned supreme at the box office this weekend, as Gina Prince-Bythewood's drama The Woman King continued its rule in the top five. The Viola Davis-led historical epic about the Agojie, the all-female army who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey between the 17th to 19th centuries, came in at No. 2. It earned an additional $11.1 million, bringing its domestic total to $36 million.

In third place, 20th Century Studios' re-release of Avatar opened in select theaters with a mythical $10 million. The James Cameron sci-fi epic earned $20.5 million internationally, bringing its global total to a formidable $30.5 million. Horror offerings Barbarian and Pearl rounded out the top five this weekend: Barbarian earned an additional $4.8 million in fourth place, while Pearl nabbed an additional $1.9 million.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Don't Worry Darling crew members dispute reports of 'screaming match' between Olivia Wilde and Florence Pugh
• How the looks in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling reveal the movie's sinister undertones
• Everything (we think) we know about all the Don't Worry Darling behind-the-scenes drama