The movie titled “Longlegs” solidified Osgood Perkins’ status as a captivating and impactful figure in the horror genre. It also challenged conventional Hollywood marketing methods by employing an unconventional promotional strategy, which included coded messages and a spooky hotline. The success of “Longlegs” at the box office sparked great interest in Perkins’ upcoming project, a comedy-horror film named “The Monkey”. This film was obtained for distribution even before the cinema premiere of “Longlegs”.
The Monkey
Inspired by Stephen King’s 1980 short story bearing the same name, this chilling horror film revolves around twin brothers who are plagued by the malevolent influence of a cursed toy monkey, leading to gruesome deaths in their vicinity. Notably, the production of this movie was jointly handled by James Wan, a renowned figure in Hollywood known for creating popular horror series, focusing on supernatural entities.
Despite the promising collaboration between King, Perkins, and Wan, along with an innovative digital-led marketing strategy that garnered over 100 million views for the film’s trailer, The Monkey has failed to surpass the box office earnings of Longlegs. Nevertheless, it has still been considered a profitable venture.
‘The Monkey’ Has Vastly Under-Performed ‘Longlegs’ at the Box Office
Read Our Review
Despite a rather gloomy 2021 for horror films at the box office, following underperforming releases like “Companion”, “Heart Eyes”, and “Wolf Man”, there’s been high anticipation for “The Monkey” to rake in around $17 million during its domestic debut weekend. This opening weekend figure is significantly lower compared to “Longlegs”, which managed a domestic opening weekend of $22.4 million, eventually amassing a total domestic gross of $74.3 million and a worldwide total of $126.9 million for the duration of its theatrical run.
Despite setting a record for advance ticket sales in 2025 horror films and becoming the top-grossing theatrical release in this genre, The Monkey underperformed its expectations, earning $14.2 million during its opening weekend domestically. This placed it as the second highest-grossing film at the domestic box office, trailing behind the ongoing blockbuster superhero movie Captain America: Brave New World. In its second week of release, The Monkey, which cost $10 million to produce and market, has amassed a domestic total of around $24.6 million and a global total of over $28.5 million. Given the low production costs, it appears there is an audience for potential sequels, although dwindling box office figures may suggest otherwise.
Critics Like ‘The Monkey’ More Than Audiences
Despite a lukewarm response from the audience and an 86% Rotten Tomatoes rating for Longlegs, its box-office performance is remarkable. Similarly, The Monkey‘s mixed reception – with a 78% Rotten Tomatoes rating and a 59% audience score – mirrors that of Longlegs. Interestingly, both films have received the same average C+ CinemaScore grade.
Despite the success of “Longlegs” at the box office, spanning numerous weekends, it’s clear that “The Monkey” underperformed. Much like “The Monkey’s” opening weekend earnings fell significantly below those of “Longlegs”, “The Monkey” saw a steep 55% decline in its second domestic release, contrasting with the milder 46% drop experienced by “Longlegs”. Furthermore, “The Monkey” earned just under $6.4 million in its second weekend, which is less than what “Longlegs” made in its third week, despite opening in almost 700 more theaters.
Will ‘The Monkey’ Launch a Horror Franchise?
James Wan’s history of creating series from ordinary items, such as his work on The Conjuring Universe and M3GAN, hinted that The Monkey was intended to be the start of a planned series. Although The Monkey is expected to be financially successful due to its low marketing and production costs, the film’s underwhelming performance at the box office makes it less likely for a franchise to materialize, especially considering the absence of significant public demand for a sequel to The Monkey.
Read More
- Pop-Tarts and Krispy Kreme Kick Off 2025 With Collaborative Menu
- Nadaaniyan song Galatfehmi OUT: Ibrahim Ali Khan, Khushi Kapoor’s heartbreaking separation in love will leave you emotional
- The First Trailer for The Weeknd’s ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ Film Is Here
- Cookie Run Kingdom Town Square Vault password
- Alec Baldwin’s TLC Reality Show Got A Release Date And There’s At Least One Reason I’ll Definitely Be Checking This One Out
- Ryan Gosling’s Star Wars Movie Here’s Everything We Know
- JJJJound’s Made in Germany adidas Superstars Drop This Week
- ‘The Last of Us’ Gets Season 2 Premiere Date
- Dead Man’s Mail treasure map solution in Avowed
- Mugler Creative Director Casey Cadwallader Reportedly Stepping Down
2025-03-08 19:33