In addition to the film’s release on HBO Max, James Wan‘s Malignant also opened in theaters here in the United States this past weekend, managing to scare up just $5,570,000 in 3,485 domestic theaters. That’s the lowest domestic opening of any horror movie in Wan’s career, a career that has seen the director launch some of the biggest horror franchises in history.
Of course, Malignant‘s day-and-date release in both theaters and on HBO Max is no doubt responsible for this lackluster number, as is the ongoing pandemic that is still keeping many Americans out of their local movie theaters. Internationally, Malignant has scared up just under $10 million to date, with the film’s worldwide total currently standing at $15,070,000.
The production budget for Malignant is a reported $40 million, so it’s unlikely to make back what it needs to in theaters alone. But it hardly matters for a film like this one, which has generated a strong word-of-mouth here in the horror world. The fans it was made for are absolutely loving Wan’s bonkers latest, and it’s sure to be a cult classic in the years to come.
In other words, Wan’s Malignant will have staying power as a movie horror fans continue watching and talking about, so it’s no big loss that it’s not another box office smash in a career that’s been full of them up to this point. Wan made this one for the horror fans, and that’s the audience that has been positively eating up his wildest horror movie to date.
As Meagan wrote in her review for BD, “Wan’s latest is a means of satisfying an itch to tackle his brand of a Giallo, to act like a bloody valentine to the formative horrors of his youth.
“It’s silly, it’s outrageous, and it’s a blast- an imperfect but wildly entertaining throwback to a bygone era of horror.”
Here in the United States, Malignant is currently in the #3 spot at the box office, behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Free Guy. Just below Malignant is Nia DaCosta’s Candyman in the #4 spot, which added nearly $5 million to its domestic total in the film’s third weekend in release. Candyman has thus far made right around $60 million worldwide.
Check out two brand new clips from Malignant below, and find it on HBO Max now!
In the film, “Paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, Madison’s (Annabelle Wallis) torment worsens as she discovers that her waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.”
The cast includes Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, Mckenna Grace, Jake Abel, George Young, Ingrid Bisu, Michole Briana White and Jacqueline McKenzie.
