Three new films failed to compete with “Beetlejuice” which once again took the top spot at the domestic box office.
Tim Burton's new horror film took in $51.6 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to $188 million.
In terms of newcomers, “Speak No Evil,” Universal and Blumhouse’s remake of the 2022 Danish horror film, opened in second place with $11.5 million from 3,375 theaters. Comedian Matt Walsh’s mockumentary “Am I Racist?” took fourth place with a decent $4.75 million from 1,517 theaters. Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s “The Killer’s Game,” starring Dave Bautista, failed to crack sixth place with $2.6 million from 2,623 theaters.
James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis star in Speak No Evil, a comedy about a couple who invite two friends to spend their vacation at their quiet country house. Reviews and audience ratings have been positive, which could help boost the film's reputation. The film also opened internationally with $9.3 million from 73 markets, for a global opening of $20.8 million.
With a budget of $15 million, “Speak No Evil” will fare well in its theatrical run. But the film continues a dull year for horror, which is usually one of the most reliable genres for big-screen movies. Recent hits like Disney’s “Alien: Romulus” ($330 million) and Neon’s “Longlegs” ($103 million) have been big hits, but Blumhouse-produced offerings like Universal’s “Night Swim” ($54 million), Lionsgate’s “Imaginary” ($39 million) and Sony’s “Afraid” ($10 million) have failed to generate interest.
Of course, Blumhouse is known for its responsible budgets, so some of these films may have managed to turn a profit. But the lack of a major horror hit is glaring, as 2022 and 2023 have been particularly big for the low-budget horror house with Five Nights at Freddy's ($292 million), Insidious 5 ($189 million), Exorcist: Believer ($136 million), and M3GAN ($180 million). In any case, analysts believe Blumhouse will return to form with a 2025 sequel including M3GAN 2.0, Black Phone 2, and Five Nights at Freddy's 2.
“Blumhouse sets a high bar for this genre,” says David A. Gross, who runs the film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “In a good year, Blumhouse could be the most profitable production company in the industry.”
Elsewhere, Disney and Marvel's “Deadpool & Wolverine” dropped to third place with $5.2 million from 3,075 theaters in its eighth weekend of release. The R-rated film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has held the top three for eight straight weeks and has grossed $621.5 million domestically and $1.3 billion worldwide so far.
Dennis Quaid's “Reagan” took fifth place with $2.9 million from 2,450 theaters in its third weekend on the big screen. The film, which tells the story of former President Ronald Reagan, has grossed $23 million so far.
More to come…
