Evil Dead Rise Becomes Series' Highest Grossing Film

2023 is already a great year for horror. The latest box office success for the genre is Evil Dead Rise, which is not only one of the best-reviewed movies of the franchise, but it's officially the highest-grossing movie of the series. The original Evil Dead was directed by Sam Raimi in 1981, and earned $2,895,379 worldwide. Raimi went on to make Evil Dead 2 in 1987, which earned $5,924,421, and Army of Darkness in 1992, which made $11,505,925. The fourth film, Evil Dead (2013), reimagined the original and earned $97,542,952. According to Collider, Evil Dead Rise has officially grossed over $100 million.  

Evil Dead Rise is also expected to make $54 million domestically by tomorrow, which means it's about to beat Evi Dead (2013)'s $54,239,856 domestic takeaway. It's wild to think Warner Bros. almost sent the movie straight to streaming. The new horror film cost less than $20 million to make which means it has already earned back five times its budget.

Will Evil Dead Rise Get a Sequel?

"I think everything's on the table at a point like this. My focus right now is finishing what's been an amazing promotional tour and whirlwind of getting to talk and share the process of making the movie and my opinions on it," director Lee Cronin shared with ComicBook.com about the franchise's future. "And I think from there it's like, let's see how audiences really react to it. I definitely have got stories that I feel like I could tell inside this universe. But equally, I think as I've proven with this, I'm also a filmmaker with my own voice. I'm not there to necessarily serve a continuing narrative all the time and probably have made a movie for me in terms of my taste that's right at the edge, intensity-wise, because I think if I pushed it any further, it becomes something that isn't me or that I'd want to make."

During a chat with Variety, Cronin also revealed some potential sequel ideas.

The story behind the Book of the Dead: "We have history in this film and that's presented through the vinyl. So there's there's a story to be told there. It's not by accident."

Beth takes her chainsaw on the road: "Somebody that survives picks up the chainsaw at the end and where they might go."

The apartment building: "There's also the aftermath in this building and who encounters that. And I've often thought, 'What happens when the cleanup crew shows up?'"

Back to the woods: "Because of the opening and the closing, there's that continuation of how this evil has a gate. That brings us back into that forest context, which excites me because I love that I broke the mold, but wouldn't it be fun now if I went back to the cabin in the woods. It could be a cool journey.

Have you seen Evil Dead Rise? Tell us in the comments!