Key Takeaways
- Box Office Success: Films like Weapons and The Conjuring: Last Rites have achieved remarkable box office numbers this year.
- Budget vs. Earnings: Despite a modest budget, <em>Companion</em> grossed $36.8 million, highlighting its unexpected success.
- Franchise Appeal: The return of series such as Final Destination: Bloodlines has attracted both new and returning audiences.
- Future Prospects: With upcoming releases like The Black Phone 2, the horror genre is poised for a strong year ahead.
After an iffy first half of the year, Horror has been tending upward since the summer. It’s kind of weird to be writing this article the same weekend that Him releases (check out my review HERE) but hey, that’s just the way things fell. Weapons, Sinners, and The Conjuring: Last Rites aren’t just amongst the most successful horror films of the year, they are among the most successful of ANY movie out this year. And, of course, there are some films that haven’t quite lived up to expectations, with I Know What You Did Last Summer, M3GAN 2.0, and 28 Years Later not quite lighting the box office on fire. But you know what they all have in common? They’re not very good movies (yes, come at me 28 Years fans). So let’s take a look at some of the successes this year.
While it didn’t stand out as a massive financial hit, with a mere $10 million budget, Companion was able to gross $36.8 million overall. And I couldn’t be happier about that as it’s one of my favorite films of the year. Let’s not forget the whole “if you make three times your budget, you’re a success” as Companion’s been considered a disappointment in some circles, which I’ve never understood. Sinners was pretty much propping the horror box office up at the beginning of 2025, and it’s a success story that gets more and more impressive the more you find out about it. With a budget of $90 million, the film has managed to make over $366 million at the box office. And that’s not even counting the Physical Media and Digital sales, which have also been stellar. There’s a reason that the 4K steelbook for this one is going for over $100 on eBay.
Often, when you bring a series back from a nearly decade-long break, fans have moved on, and it doesn’t result in boffo box office (coughiknowwhatyoudidlastsummercough), but Final Destination: Bloodlines was able to bring in new audiences while still satiating old ones. I think the concept of death coming after a group of people will always be evergreen. But it also helps that this was the final appearance of Tony Todd, which many wanted to witness on the big screen. It’s pretty unbelievable what Weapons has been able to accomplish this summer. Multiple weeks as number one at the box office and universal praise, Zach Cregger’s latest may have set up his career in a big way. And it all comes down to quality. The word of mouth for this film has been incredible and it’s resulted in over $260 million at the worldwide box office.
It’s crazy to think that The Conjuring: Last Rites did Comic Book Movie numbers in its opening weekend with $194 million worldwide. As of right now, Last Rites has brought in over $356 million worldwide and it’s likely to pass $400 before all is said and done. For what was supposed to be the final entry in the franchise, those are crazy numbers (and likely will result in a false ending for the series). And sure, the reviews for Last Rites haven’t been incredible (though I liked it), the series has never been a critical darling. Thankfully, audiences have absolutely loved it and sometimes that’s really all you need.
With The Black Phone 2 and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 still to come this year, 2025 is looking to be one of the best that horror has ever had in terms of box office receipts. And while some are certainly franchise films, there are just as many original films that are succeeding. This makes the future of the genre very exciting as it seems like studios will be more likely to take risks with their films. Because Companion and even Bring Her Back are examples of not having major budgets and allowing for a non-$100 million total to still be considered a success.
Is this a sign that horror is on an upswing? Or will it just result in more sequels to these properties versus learning actual lessons about originality? Let us know in the comments!
