Blumhouse has long been one of the premier names in the horror genre. It’s the studio behind several of the biggest horror titles of the 21st century, including Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge, Happy Death Day, Get Out (among several others). That sterling track record took a bit of a hit this year, as Blumhouse was behind some films that disappointed at the box office. The Wolf Man reboot could only muster $34.1 million worldwide, and M3GAN 2.0 was also a flop with $39 million globally. In the midst of spooky season, Blumhouse was hoping sequel Black Phone 2 could salvage 2025. Fortunately, that’s what happened.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black Phone 2 grossed $26.5 million domestically in its opening weekend, exceeding initial projections. Its worldwide debut stands at $42 million. Black Phone 2 fared better than its predecessor, which grossed $23.6 million domestically in its opening back in the summer of 2022.
Can Black Phone 2 Have Strong Legs at the Box Office?
Black Phone 2 is just the latest horror film to find success at the box office this year. It’s another example of a genre title to surpass original estimates, joining the ranks of hits like Sinners, Weapons, and Final Destination Bloodlines. Black Phone 2 has also already surpassed its production budget ($30 million), meaning it’s well on its way to turning a healthy profit for the studio. Depending on how things play out from here, it has a strong chance to earn more than The Black Phone did over the course of its run ($161.4 million).
There are a few reasons why Black Phone 2 could have strong legs at the box office. For starters, the sequel earned positive reviews, with much praise being given to its storytelling approach, terrifying set pieces, and Ethan Hawke’s performance as the Grabber. The word of mouth means it will likely have some staying power. Plus, Black Phone 2 is playing in theaters at the perfect time. Moviegoers are in the mood for something scary right now, and Black Phone 2 won’t be facing much competition there. It essentially has a clear runway through Halloween. Next week’s big release is music biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, and the main attractions the week after are the Kpop Demon Hunters re-release and the nationwide expansion of Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia. There aren’t any new horror films getting a wide release for the rest of the month.
Even if Black Phone 2 doesn’t earn the top spot at the box office for the next couple of weeks, it should still continue to post decent numbers. That’ll be welcome news for producer Jason Blum, who’s spent most of this year addressing the poor performances of M3GAN 2.0 and Wolf Man. While Blumhouse still needs to be careful when planning out its next film slate (audiences really did not respond positively to M3GAN 2.0‘s genre blend), Black Phone 2 has gotten things back on track. It shows Blumhouse is still capable of delivering a hit and they don’t need to completely overhaul how they do things.
With Black Phone 2 performing as well as it is, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Blumhouse pursue a third installment in the franchise. It’s proven to be a lucrative property, so if director Scott Derrickson has an idea for another sequel, Universal would probably be interested. The traditionally small budgets of horror movies make it easier for studios to take chances on original concepts, but it’s also nice to have some guaranteed draws to rely on. The M3GAN spin-off movie SOULM8TE is scheduled to come out next year, but that franchise could be dead after the way M3GAN 2.0 fared. Perhaps the Grabber could emerge as Blumhouse’s iconic character this decade.
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Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
