Joel Ruben’s Heart Eyes appears to be the little slasher movie that could.
Despite opening on estimate during its February 7th release, Sony Pictures was reportedly disappointed the valentine’s slasher didn’t perform better.
However, had the studio just waited a week, they would begin to see the profits they desired.
Not only was February 14th Valentine’s Day, but it also saw the release of Heart Eyes in multiple European territories.
These two factors saw profits increase considerably for Heart Eyes, with the film rising 18% in the US alone, when compared to its underwhelming $8.3 million opening.
With a Valentine’s weekend haul of $10 million domestically, Heart Eyes is sitting pretty.
Internationally, Heart Eyes reaped an additional $4.7 million, for a worldwide tally of $23 million.
Whilst the international debut undoubtedly helped, the staggering 19% domestic rise in a sophomore weekend is almost unheard of.
Typically, genre films experience a rapid decline following their opening weekend, except in very rare cases.
Now, Sony faces the very real possibility that Heart Eyes could be a sleeper hit, much like their earlier holiday release Thanksgiving.
As we know, a Thanksgiving sequel is on the way. Will Heart Eyes also get this treatment, following the unexpected boost?
We’ll be sure to let you know!
