They’re back… and they’re very glad you were home.
Despite a Rotten Tomatoes rating of only 17%, Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 1 has defied expectations and over-performed at the box-office.
Initially projected to gross $7 million worldwide, Chapter 1 managed to scare up an impressive $12.8 million. Although this still landed the movie in third place, it is far beyond what Lionsgate expected.
Recouping it’s $8.5 million budget is a good sign for the sequels already in the pipeline, and it is hoped they will stray from the familiar path Chapter 1 walked.
Although Chapter 1 earned praised for its atmosphere and lead performances, the film was primarily criticised for being too close to the 2008 original. Copying entire sequences from said movie, critics and audiences alike longed for something more original.
However, director Renny Harlin has assured fans the already-finished sequels will fulfil this request. Referring to Part 1 as merely a “set up movie,” Harlin concedes that it “had to” ape the 2008 original, but that the sequels will “blaze a different path.”
Set to take place over the four days following Chapter 1, The Strangers: Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 will continue to follow Madelaine Petsch’s Maya as she processes her ordeal. Given the eerie cliffhanger Part 1 gave us, fans are hopeful Chapter 2 will see our titular villains stalk some dark hospital corridors.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 is expected to release this fall, with Chapter 3 following in the first quarter of 2025.
