What's Happening?
The horror sequel 'Black Phone 2' has topped the North American box office charts, earning $26.5 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend. This performance surpasses the original film's debut
of $23.6 million. Released by Universal Pictures, the film was shown in 3,411 theaters across North America and received positive reviews. The sequel, directed by Scott Derrickson and featuring stars Ethan Hawke and Mason Thames, attracted a diverse audience, with 63% of viewers aged between 18 and 34. The film also performed well internationally, bringing in an additional $15.5 million from 71 territories, resulting in a total worldwide launch of $42 million against a $30 million production budget.
Why It's Important?
The success of 'Black Phone 2' is a significant boost for Blumhouse, which has faced a challenging year with several underperforming releases. This strong opening indicates a potential resurgence for the studio, known for its horror films. The film's performance also highlights the continued popularity of the horror genre, which has been a major contributor to the box office this year, generating over $1.2 billion. The success of 'Black Phone 2' could encourage studios to invest more in horror films, which have proven to be lucrative even in a slow moviegoing period.
What's Next?
Looking ahead, Blumhouse is set to release a sequel to 'Five Nights at Freddy's' in December, which could further solidify its position in the horror genre. The film industry is also anticipating the release of several awards-hopeful films in the coming weeks, which may shift the focus from horror to more auteur-driven projects. However, the strong performance of 'Black Phone 2' suggests that horror films will continue to be a staple in attracting audiences to theaters.
