We were warned that “when he bangs his drum, someone dies…”
However, the only thing Oz Perkins’ The Monkey killed upon its February 21st release was the box-office charts.
Mirroring the success of Longlegs, The Monkey opened in second place, behind holdover blockbuster Captain America: Brave New World. Perkins’ Longlegs similarly debuted in second place, behind Despicable Me 4.
However, that doesn’t mean The Monkey didn’t pull in audiences. Opening right on target, the Stephen King adaption raked in an impressive $14 million during its opening weekend. Although that’s lower than the final tally of Longlegs, The Monkey still tore its new release competition to shreds, with The Unbreakable Boy opening in seventh place.
Elsewhere, The Monkey saw similar success, pulling in a further $7 million from European markets.
This brings The Monkey’s worldwide opening haul to an impressive $21 million.
However, given the universally positive critical reception, NEON are expecting the film to hold well in the coming weeks.
So, will The Monkey grow long legs to become an equally successful sleeper hit?
We’re very sorry… We’ll show ourselves out.
