News
October 18, 2021 | Los Angeles, CA
'Halloween Kills' cuts down the competition at the U.S. box office
The horror film lit up multiplexes and slashed its way to the top of the box office over the weekend, exceeding film industry expectations and nabbing about $50 million.
NBCNews.com
'Halloween Kills' cuts down the competition at the U.S. box office
"We should never underestimate the horror genre," a box office analyst said.
By Daniel Arkin
"Halloween Kills," the 12th installment in the horror franchise, slashed its way to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, exceeding film industry expectations and nabbing about $50 million.
The horror saga lit up multiplexes even though subscribers to Peacock, NBCUniversal's fledgling streaming service, could watch the film free from the comfort of their living rooms. (NBC News and the movie's distributor, Universal Pictures, are both units of NBCUniversal.)
"We should never underestimate the horror genre," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, which tracks box office data. "It's been like the Rodney Dangerfield of movie genres, but it's finally getting respect."
"Halloween Kills" failed to impress critics, however, earning a lackluster 39 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dergarabedian said horror movies have ginned up about half a billion dollars in box office revenue since March 2020. "A Quiet Place Part II," "Candyman" and the latest chapter in the "Conjuring" franchise all gave boosts to cinema chains this year.
In recent years, horror films have generally performed well in the domestic marketplace. "Halloween Kills" capitalized on broad awareness of a movie series that began with John Carpenter's classic "Halloween" in 1978 — and it arrived just a week before Americans celebrate the holiday of the title.
Dergarabedian said the success of "Halloween Kills," which cost around $20 million to produce, upended expectations that the option to stream the movie at home would cannibalize revenues at traditional theaters.
"There's nothing like seeing horror with other people in a theater," he said.
MORE: https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/movies/halloween-kills-cuts-down-competition-u-s-box-office-n1281785
'Halloween Kills' cuts down the competition at the U.S. box office
"We should never underestimate the horror genre," a box office analyst said.
By Daniel Arkin
"Halloween Kills," the 12th installment in the horror franchise, slashed its way to the top of the North American box office over the weekend, exceeding film industry expectations and nabbing about $50 million.
The horror saga lit up multiplexes even though subscribers to Peacock, NBCUniversal's fledgling streaming service, could watch the film free from the comfort of their living rooms. (NBC News and the movie's distributor, Universal Pictures, are both units of NBCUniversal.)
"We should never underestimate the horror genre," said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at Comscore, which tracks box office data. "It's been like the Rodney Dangerfield of movie genres, but it's finally getting respect."
"Halloween Kills" failed to impress critics, however, earning a lackluster 39 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dergarabedian said horror movies have ginned up about half a billion dollars in box office revenue since March 2020. "A Quiet Place Part II," "Candyman" and the latest chapter in the "Conjuring" franchise all gave boosts to cinema chains this year.
In recent years, horror films have generally performed well in the domestic marketplace. "Halloween Kills" capitalized on broad awareness of a movie series that began with John Carpenter's classic "Halloween" in 1978 — and it arrived just a week before Americans celebrate the holiday of the title.
Dergarabedian said the success of "Halloween Kills," which cost around $20 million to produce, upended expectations that the option to stream the movie at home would cannibalize revenues at traditional theaters.
"There's nothing like seeing horror with other people in a theater," he said.
MORE: https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/movies/halloween-kills-cuts-down-competition-u-s-box-office-n1281785
