Has the horror movie curse finally been lifted? WithSinnersdoing so well andThe Monkeyemerging as the second-biggest hit in Neon’s history, an argument can be made. But the sort of bread-and-butter horror titles that would routinely do well at the box office still seem to be struggling. Before the pandemic, films likeUntil Dawnwould’ve quietly cracked the $100 million mark. Think:the Resident Evil franchise. But after two weeks in theaters worldwide, the movie has only made it past the $30 million milestone so far. Directed byDavid F. Sandberg, the video game adaptation has reason to celebrate this weekend; it’s finally in the black.
The rule of thumb says thata movie must make twice its reported budget at the box office to break even, seeing as half the revenue goes to exhibitors.Until Dawn, which was produced ona reported budget of $15 million, has now made over $30 million at the worldwide box office. The movie added $3.8 million domestically and $6.4 million internationallythis weekend. Its running domestic total stands at $14 million, while its overseas haul has now passed the $20 million mark.Until Dawn’sglobal haul stands at a cumulative $34 millionso far. That being said,Until Dawnhas now outperformed theWolf Manreboot from earlier this year, as well as directorJaume Collet-Serra’sThe Woman in the Yard.
Sandberg would recognize how drastically the market for horror movies has changed over the years. His debut film,Lights Out, grossed nearly $150 million worldwide against a reported budget of under $5 million. The movie hadno connection to a popular IP; it was based on a short directed by Sandberg himself. He went on to directAnnabelle: Creation, which generated over $300 million globally. Remarkably, that film cost the same asUntil Dawn, which is inspired by the video game of the same name.
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ and ‘Conjuring 4’ Are Around the Corner
Sandberg then spent a few years directingShazam!andShazam! Fury of the Godsas part of the now-defunct DC Extended Universe. While the first film did rather well, the sequel bombed.Until Dawnis a return to Sandberg’s horror roots, butreviews for the film have been underwhelming. It holds a 53%Rotten Tomatoes scoreand a marginally better 67% audience score on the aggregator website. Perhaps there’s hope yet for studio horror movies, especially with a string of franchise titles around the corner includingFinal Destination: BloodlinesandThe Conjuring: Last Rites.
you’re able to watch the film in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Until Dawn
Set in the world of the 2015 video game, the film Until Dawn follows a group of friends who face various terrifying threats.
