In honor of ‘Halloween’s killer $77.5 million debut, I look at Blumhouse Productions’ 13 biggest box office openings to date.
Blumhouse Productions’ ‘Halloween’ has provided the best domestic opening ever for a film in the 40-year old franchise. Universal Pictures
Halloween has slain at the box office becoming yet another home run for Hollywood’s horror movie hit-makers, Blumhouse Productions.
With an opening weekend of $77.5 million on a budget of somewhere between $10 million and $15 million, Halloween ’s opened in the top spot at the box office, exceeding many industry expectations and breaking a number of records. It also has the honor of being the biggest opening weekend for a Blumhouse Productions movie to date.
In honor of Halloween ’s killer debut, I’ve taken a look at Blumhouse Productions’ 13 biggest box office opening weekends to date. Blumhouse has released 40 films theatrically so why 13? As it’s October, the month of Halloween, it seems only right to cut it off there. All figures are domestic and unadjusted for inflation unless stated otherwise.
13. The Visit (Universal) 2015
Opening Weekend: $25.43 million
Final Box Office: $65.21 million
Considered to be something of a return to form for writer-director M. Night Shyamalan, this found footage horror received overall mixed reviews. The Visit was a box office success, grossing $98.5 million worldwide against its $5 million budget. His next film, Split, was an even bigger hit and played a crucial role in 2017 being a bumper year for Blumhouse.
12. Happy Death Day (Universal) 2017
Opening Weekend: $26.5 million
Final Box Office: $55.68 million
Happy Death Day follows a college student who is murdered on her birthday, and who then begins reliving the day over and over again; at that point, she sets out to stop her death and find the killer. Critics gave it a mostly warm reception and described it as “ Groundhog Day meets Scream.” A sequel, Happy Death Day 2 U, will hit theaters on February 14,2019. How terrifyingly romantic!
11. Paranormal Activity 4 (Paramount) 2012
Opening Weekend: $29 million
Final Box Office: $53.9 million
Paranormal Activity 4, obviously the fourth installment in the Paranormal Activity series, was a sequel to Paranormal Activity 2, set several years later. It grossed $53.9 million domestically and racked up a worldwide total of $140.71 million. Reviews ranged from mixed to negative, but that didn’t stop it being a hit – it only cost $5 million to make. However, it was, in many ways, the last half-decent entry in the franchise.
10. Insidious: The Last Key (Universal) 2018
Opening Weekend: $29.58 million
Final Box Office: $67.56 million
The fourth film in the Insidious franchise, but the second in the chronology of the story running through the series, made $167.7 million at the worldwide box office against a $10 million budget – the highest return of the franchise. Despite Insidious: The Last Key receiving mixed reviews, although people praise Lin Shaye’s performance, the box office success suggests more Insidious tales could lie ahead.
9. The Purge: Anarchy (Universal) 2014
Opening Weekend: $29.82 million
Final Box Office: $71.96 million
Although The Purge: Anarchy got mixed reviews from critics, Frank Grillo’s performance in the film’s lead role was widely praised, and the film itself was considered a considerable improvement on the original The Purge. This sequel also took the action from one location, a house, to the streets of Los Angeles. T he Purge: Anarchy grossed over $111 million worldwide and spawned a sequel, The Purge: Election Year. Speaking of which….
8. The Purge: Election Year (Universal) 2016
Opening Weekend: $31.52 million
Final Box Office: $79.21 million
The Purge: Election Year, the third film in the franchise, grossed over $118 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the series and saw Frank Grillo returning to the lead role of Leo Barnes. It grossed $3.6 million in Thursday night previews domestically, outperforming both of its predecessors. A fourth film, set up as a prequel to the first three films, called The First Purge, was released earlier this year and a spinoff TV show, The Purge, is currently airing on the USA network. The Purge franchise has also become a key part of the Halloween Horror Nights events at Universal Studios in Los Angeles and Orlando.
The image of Daniel Kaluuya’s ‘Get Out’ character, Chris Washington, being sent to ‘The Sunken Place’ is already iconic. Universal Pictures
7. Get Out (Universal) 2017
Opening Weekend: $33.38 million
Final Box Office: $176.04 million
The directorial debut of Jordan Peele, who also co-wrote and co-produced Get Out, follows a young interracial couple who visit the mysterious estate of the woman’s parents, uncovering a dark reality. Following red-hot buzz from its premiere at Sundance Film Festival it was widely acclaimed by critics and grossed $253 million worldwide against its $4.5 million budget and became the most profitable film of 2017. Get Out was also nominated for a slew of awards including four Oscars.
6. The Purge (Universal) 2013
Opening Weekend: $34.06 million
Final Box Office: $64.47 million
The Purge, made for $3 million, told the story of a family held hostage during the titular Purge, a 12-hour period where all illegal acts are decriminalized and bloody chaos reigns. The reviews weren’t great but it was a hit, and it went on to gross $89.3 million worldwide and spawned a franchise.
5. Split (Universal) 2017
Opening Weekend: $40.01 million
Final Box Office: $138.29 million
James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy lead the cast in this psychological horror-thriller film about a man with 23 different personalities who kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls in an isolated underground facility. It generally received positive reviews and was a hit with audiences and made $278 million worldwide on a budget of $9 million. Split is a standalone sequel to Unbreakable, and a sequel, entitled Glass, starring McAvoy, Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson will hit theaters on January 18,2019.
4. Insidious Chapter 2 (FilmDistrict) 2013
Opening Weekend: $40.27 million
Final Box Office: $83.59 million
The original film’s lead cast, Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne, reprised their roles as a husband and wife looking to uncover the secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world. Domestically, Insidious Chapter 2 earned $1.5 million from its Thursday night showings and reached a $20 million Friday total, making it the biggest opening day in September box office history at that time. Worldwide it went on to gross $161.92 million against a budget of $5 million.
3. Paranormal Activity 2 (Paramount) 2010
Opening Weekend: $40.68 million
Final Box Office: $84.75 million
Domestically, Paranormal Activity 2 broke the record for biggest midnight gross for an R-rated film with $6.3 million, beating the previous record-holder Watchmen by $4.6 million. It also broke the record for biggest opening for a horror movie of all time up to that point.
