News

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” Chills the Competition, While “Immaculate” and “Late Night With the Devil” Stir Up the Box Office

Published

2 months ago

March 24, 2024

It was a great weekend at the box office, with “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” leading the pack, amassing an impressive $45.2 million in its debut across North American theaters. Amidst its triumph, the releases of “Immaculate”, starring Sydney Sweeney, and the innovative “Late Night With the Devil” proved a great weekend for horror fans.

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” emerged as the frontrunner, eclipsing its projection with a domestic haul of $45.2 million from 4,345 venues, slightly outperforming its predecessor “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”. Globally, the film garnered $61 million, indicating a strong start, though it faces the challenge of recouping a substantial $100 million production budget. The mixed reception, mirrored by a 43% Rotten Tomatoes score and a “B+” CinemaScore, highlights the film’s broad appeal yet suggests a division among audiences and critics alike.

**Critics Consensus via Rotten Tomatoes**
“*Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire* offers a certain amount of nostalgia-fueled fun for fans of the original, but a crowded cast and surprisingly serious tone prevent this sequel from truly sparking.”

“Immaculate” marked its entry into the horror genre with an opening of $5.3 million, showcasing the allure of Sydney Sweeney’s burgeoning fame. While the film’s initial box office performance was modest, as indicated by its “C+” CinemaScore, this does not detract from the potential impact of its thematic elements. In the realm of horror, it’s often the uniqueness of the concept that captivates the audience, rather than the prominence of the cast.

Notably, online interest in “Immaculate” has seen a significant uptick, hinting at a growing curiosity that may lead to an upward trend in its box office journey. This increasing digital engagement suggests that despite a lukewarm start, “Immaculate” is beginning to resonate with viewers, potentially broadening its appeal through word-of-mouth and social media discussions.

Conversely, ‘Late Night With the Devil’ proved to be a dark horse, capturing $2.8 million and setting a new benchmark for IFC Films. The success of this low-budget thriller underscores the potential for high-quality, auteur-driven films within the horror genre, even in a competitive market. In a spooky twist, Variety reports, ‘“Late Night With the Devil” took sixth place and summoned $2.8 million from 1,034 venues, including (and you can’t make this up) $666,666 on Sunday.’

Although Variety’s reporting was released on Sunday morning, it’s important to note that weekend box office figures are often based on projections and early data, which can include advanced ticket sales and estimates for Sunday’s performance, explaining how these numbers can be reported early. However, the number seems a little too exact to be just a coincidence, in my opinion. Could this be another marketing idea to drum up buzz?

Meanwhile, “Dune: Part Two” continued to perform strongly, securing the No. 2 position at the box office with earnings of $17.6 million across 3,437 locations, experiencing a modest 37% decline from its previous weekend’s performance. Now in its third week, the sci-fi spectacle has amassed a domestic total of $233 million and a worldwide gross of $574 million.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

News

Radio Silence No Longer Attached to ‘Escape From New York’

Published

2 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Radio Silence has certainly had its ups and downs over the past year. First, they said they wouldn’t be directing another sequel to Scream, but their movie Abigail became a box office hit among critics and fans. Now, according to Comicbook.com, they won’t be pursuing the Escape From New York reboot that was announced late last year.

Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin are the duo behind the directing/production team. They talked with Comicbook.com and when questioned about Escape From New York project, Gillett gave this answer:

“We are not, unfortunately. I think titles like that bounce around for a while and I think they’ve tried to get that out of the blocks a few times. I think it’s just ultimately a tricky rights issue thing. There’s a clock on it and we just weren’t in a position to make the clock, ultimately. But who knows? I think, in hindsight, it feels crazy that we would think we would, post-Scream, step into a John Carpenter franchise. You never know. There’s still interest in it and we’ve had a few conversations about it but we’re not attached in any official capacity.”

Radio Silence has yet to announce any of its upcoming projects.

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

Movies

Shelter in Place, New ‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Trailer Drops

Published

4 hours ago

May 9, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The third installment of the A Quiet Place franchise is set to release only in theaters on June 28. Even though this one is minus John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, it still looks terrifyingly magnificent.

This entry is said to be a spin-off and not a sequel to the series, although it’s technically more a prequel. The wonderful Lupita Nyong’o takes center stage in this movie, along with Joseph Quinn as they navigate through New York City under siege by bloodthirsty aliens.

The official synopsis, as if we need one, is “Experience the day the world went quiet.” This, of course, refers to the quick-moving aliens who are blind but have an enhanced sense of hearing.

Under the direction of Michael Sarnoski (Pig) this apocalyptic suspense thriller will be released the same day as the first chapter in Kevin Costner’s three-part epic western Horizon: An American Saga.

Which one will you see first?

Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'

News

Rob Zombie Joins McFarlane Figurine’s “Music Maniacs” Line

Published

20 hours ago

May 8, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Rob Zombie is joining the growing cast of horror music legends for McFarlane collectibles. The toy company, headed by Todd McFarlane, has been doing its Movie Maniacs line since 1998, and this year they have created a new series called Music Maniacs. This includes legendary musicians, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, and Trooper Eddie from Iron Maiden.

Adding to that iconic list is director Rob Zombie formerly of the band White Zombie. Yesterday, via Instagram, Zombie posted that his likeness will join the Music Maniacs line. The “Dracula” music video inspires his pose.

He wrote: “Another Zombie action figure is headed your way from @toddmcfarlane ☠️ It’s been 24 years since the first one he did of me! Crazy! ☠️ Preorder now! Coming this summer.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RobZombieofficial (@robzombieofficial)

This won’t be the first time Zombie has been featured with the company. Back in 2000, his likeness was the inspiration for a “Super Stage” edition where he is equipped with hydraulic claws in a diorama made of stones and human skulls.

For now, McFarlane’s Music Maniacs collection is only available for pre-order. The Zombie figure is limited to only 6,200 pieces. Pre-order yours at the McFarlane Toys website.