It’s always a daunting task being the first genre release of the year.
However, it stings even more when that film underperforms at the box-office. Unfortunately, this fate befell Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man.
Opening over the four-day Martin Luther King Weekend in the US, Wolf Man was expected to garner a healthy $15-21 million.
Whilst this wouldn’t see Wolf Man top the box-office, it would be a sizeable help in recouping the movie’s $25 million budget.
However, despite the hopeful estimates, Whannell’s film ultimately debuted to a disappointing $12.5 million domestically. This means Wolf Man failed to reach even the lower end of its forecast debut.
Internationally, Wolf Man similarly underperformed, taking in $4.8 million. Altogether, this means the movie grossed $17.3 million.
This is a far cry from the expected worldwide gross of $26 million, and likely isn’t the start to the year Blumhouse had hoped for.
Although critics have been indifferent to the movie, Wolf Man has received high praise from audiences. The movie’s visuals, lead performances, and creature effects have all been highlighted, leading movie-goers to ponder why the movie underperformed.
Some have attributed the underwhelming performance to a lack of effective promotion. Wolf Man has flown under-the-radar for most of its gestation, with even the trailers performing below expectations.
Whatever the case, this appears to be another misfire in the proposed reboot of the classic Universal monster’s universe. So far, the only offering that had turned a profit for the studio is 2020’s The Invisible Man, also directed by Whannell.
With several more offerings lined up, including Lee Cronin’s The Mummy, and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride, perhaps its time for a creative reset?
It’s possible Wolf Man will hold well in the coming weeks, or find a strong following on home media. However, this is likely not the start to a genre-heavy year that anyone was hoping for.
