Longlegs hit the ground running at the box office, taking in over $22 million in its opening weekend. But will that number rise even higher or trip up due to a great marketing scheme that didn’t quite deliver on its hype?
Although the film directed by Oz Perkins is an exquisitely made chiller, it’s not quite the serial killer film people were expecting. That statement is bolstered by the C+ audience grade hanging over its head on CinemaScore. However, that grade is considered par for the course regarding horror movies.
You could also gauge the potential box office longevity of Longlegs by the other serial killer movie that hit theaters in the past few weeks, MaXXXine, which fell a staggering 70% in its second week.
It feels like the battle of the indie distributors with Neon and A24 going head to head for your moviegoing dollars. Bigger studios don’t seem to have to work that hard. Exactly two years ago Smile (which also had a strong PR campaign) put a grin on Paramount’s face with an opening weekend cash grab of $22 million, but went on to earn over $105 million before it hit digital. A sequel to that film will be released later this year.
It appears early summer belongs to animated franchise sequels. Inside Out 2 is now Pixar’s biggest film to date and Despicable Me 4 is reigning supreme for its second week in a row. That film joined the Century Club on day one with $105 million.
But the Minions grip might get loosened as the summer blockbuster Twisters, another sequel, blows into cinemas this weekend. The Glen Powell disaster film has already secured a great critical score, plateauing at 84% Certified Fresh rating based on previews alone.
So will Longlegs crawl to the $100 million mark at the box office or has it been hobbled already and will get its second wind via streaming?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
