The Black Phone 2" Dominates the Box Office: A Look at Universal and Blumhouse's Horror Sequel's Strong Start
Universal and Blumhouse's horror sequel, "The Black Phone 2," made a strong start to the spooky season by earning $26.5 million from 3,411 theaters in North America. This performance led the weekend box office, which was otherwise quiet. The sequel's opening was in line with expectations and slightly better than its predecessor, "The Black Phone," which debuted with $23 million in 2021 during the early stages of cinema recovery from COVID-19. The landscape for the two films was vastly different, with the original opening in fourth place during the summer, while the sequel had a more relaxed October release.
The new horror film faced minimal competition during its opening weekend, with the only other major release being Lionsgate's "Good Fortune," which earned $6.2 million and landed in third place. Disney's sci-fi sequel, "Tron: Are," took the second spot with $11 million, marking a significant drop from its previous installment. "The Black Phone 2" also performed well internationally, adding $15.5 million to its global total of $42 million. Despite decent reviews, the sequel did not resonate as strongly with audiences as the original, receiving a "B" grade compared to the first film's "B+" grade on CinemaScore exit polls.
For Universal and Blumhouse, the success of "The Black Phone 2" is crucial as they invested more in this sequel, with a production cost of $30 million compared to the original film's $18 million budget. The film's performance will determine its long-term success and impact on Blumhouse's comeback. The production company, known for successful horror franchises like "Paranormal Activity," "The Purge," and "Halloween," has faced challenges recently with underperforming films like "Wolf Man" and "M3GAN 2.0." Despite this, Blumhouse has another sequel, "Five Nights at Freddy's 2," scheduled for release in December.
As the box office results continue to unfold, the success of "The Black Phone 2" will be closely monitored to gauge Blumhouse's resurgence in the horror genre. Stay tuned for more updates on the studio's upcoming projects and box office performance.