It was yet another eventful week for the horror genre at the box-office.
It was a somewhat anticipated film, given the involvement of producer Jordan Peele. Universal Pictures had high hopes for horror-comedy Him, boldly projecting it would top the box-office come its September 19th opening.
However, the result they got was sub-par to say the least. Initially projected to gross a healthy $18-20 million during its opening weekend, Him fell far short of the mark, with a final domestic tally of $13 million.
Internationally, Him had a similarly disappointing weekend, grossing only $258,000.
Critically, Him also received a lashing, with almost universally negative reviews. Currently, the film holds a less-than-stellar 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, and continues the worrying 2025 trend of Universal’s genre releases underperforming.
Elsewhere in the box-office charts, thankfully there was good news for the genre.
The Conjuring: Last Rites reached a new franchise milestone, becoming the highest grossing of the entire Conjuring Universe. Sitting pretty at $400 million worldwide, Last Rites has beaten 2019’s The Nun to become the top money maker of the series. Given that sizeable number, it seems rather unlikely that Last Rites will remain the “final chapter” in the Ed and Lorraine Warren saga.
Francis Lawrence’s dystopian Stephen King adaption The Long Walk continued to have “legs,” bringing further fortune for the genre at the box-office. Garnering a further $6.2 million for Lionsgate, The Long Walk held strong, bringing its worldwide total to a not-too-shabby $25 million.
So, although the new genre release of the weekend failed to set the box-office on fire, it’s clear the horror genre is still drawing people to the theatre. With several high-profile releases on the horizon, we’ll be watching closely to see if the genre appeal continues as we move into spooky season!
