After making a name for himself in sketch comedy across five seasons of Key & Peele, Jordan Peele surprised everyone when he transitioned to filmmaking and became one of this generation’s most respected auteurs. Get Out put Peele the filmmaker on the map, achieving significant critical and commercial success. Peele has since used the clout he earned to not only direct a couple more features, but also serve as a producer on some intriguing titles — including a few horror films. His latest endeavor as a producer is Him, a football-themed psychological thriller starring Marlon Wayans as a veteran quarterback who takes a rising star under his wing.
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Him is arriving in theaters at seemingly the perfect time, as the college football and NFL seasons are well underway. The combination of Peele’s name (the marketing campaign has made sure to emphasize his involvement as producer) and football’s popularity could be a recipe for box office success. Him stands a decent shot at achieving glory since it was relatively inexpensive.
What Is Him‘s Production Budget?
One of the reasons why horror remains such a viable genre at the box office is the fact that many of those films sport smaller production budgets, putting them in a greater position to easily turn a profit. Him is no exception. It cost $27 million to make. That figure is in the same ballpark as 2021’s Candyman ($25 million), which Peele also produced. It’s actually more expensive than the budget for Peele’s directorial effort Us ($20 million).
The general rule of thumb is that for a movie to break even, it needs to earn double its budget. This is because production budgets do not account for marketing and distribution costs. With that in mind, Him likely needs to earn approximately $54 million globally to recoup expenses.
Can Him Become a Box Office Success?
The latest box office projections estimate Him will earn between $15-18 million domestically during its opening weekend. Horror movies have made a habit of exceeding the estimates this year, but it remains to be seen if Him can continue that trend. On the heels of Weapons, September has already seen the releases of The Conjuring: Last Rites (which broke box office records) and The Long Walk. The latter wasn’t a huge draw at the box office, but it was critically acclaimed; moviegoers looking for a horror/thriller title have had plenty to choose from the past several weeks. The demand for Him may not be as high. Still, $15-18 million would be a good start considering the budget.
The bigger question will be how Him holds over the subsequent weekends. The fall marketplace is about to get even more crowded with high-profile, awards-buzzy titles such as One Battle After Another and The Smashing Machine, which are anchored by massive superstars to boot. Him could get overshadowed after its debut, impacting its legs at the box office.
In terms of worldwide box office, Him may not get a sizable boost there. The NFL has been playing games internationally for years now, but football is still a bigger deal in America. There’s a scenario where Him makes most of its money domestically due to limited global appeal because of the subject matter. Worldwide box office can be a valuable asset; The Conjuring: Last Rites is about to become 2025’s highest-grossing horror film because it cleaned up internationally.
The Candyman Peele produced grossed $77.4 million worldwide, but that may not be a fair comparison. That film was a new installment in a long-running horror franchise and had a built-in fan base. It also came out during a far less competitive window, during a time when theaters were still recovering from the pandemic. In contrast, Him is an original film trying to stand out amongst some heavy hitters. It has its work cut out for itself, but if it hits the high end of its projections, that $54 million mark could be in reach.
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