Hollywood franchise film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire topped the box office over the weekend, but the most exciting box office story of the week was all about fresh original horror.
Neon released the Sydney Sweeney horror movie Immaculate into theaters the very same weekend that IFC Films unleashed Late Night with the Devil at the domestic box office. The good news? Both films exceeded expectations in their opening weekends!
Let’s start with Neon’s Immaculate, which broke through the crowded box office schedule thanks to clever marketing, rave reviews from the festival scene, and Sydney Sweeney’s rising star. The nunsploitation horror movie opened in the #4 spot on the domestic charts, scaring up an impressive $5.3 million across 2,354 theaters in its opening weekend here in the States.
Here’s the important context on that number. It’s the highest opening weekend for Neon in the company’s history, surpassing films like Ferrari, Parasite, Spencer and Infinity Pool.
The reported production budget for Immaculate was around $9 million, so there’s a good chance it will end up becoming profitable as the weeks go on here in early 2024.
And Neon still has a huge year ahead, with horror movies Cuckoo and Longlegs also headed our way soon. Will either film top Immaculate‘s opening weekend? Stay tuned to find out.
Coming in at #6 on the weekend charts was IFC Films’ Late Night with the Devil, a 1970s-set horror movie starring David Dastmalchian that similarly benefited from a wave of discourse and attention-grabbing marketing. Whether it was the AI debate or the Stephen King rave that drove people to the theaters, Late Night with the Devil is a hit for IFC Films.
Late Night with the Devil opened to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, making it the highest opening weekend for IFC Films. The film is next coming to Shudder on April 19, 2024.
Take notes, Hollywood. The people want horror all year round.
‘Immaculate’
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