‘Halloween’ Tops Box Office With One Of The Biggest Horror Movie Openings Ever
It’s been approximately 40 years since Halloween opened in 1978, but age isn’t catching up with horror icon Michael Myers. In fact, he seems to be aging quite gracefully, if numbers are any indication.
According to a report from CNN, the 11th movie in the Halloween franchise opened with an estimated $77.5 million at the box office, marking the second largest opening for a horror film in history, trailing the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King’s IT.
Not only did the movie do well in terms of commercial success, but Halloween is also fairing well with critics, sitting at a rock-solid 80 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a nearly-identical audience score of 79 percent. So what does all this data add up to?
Probably sequels.
It’s highly unlikely with numbers and audience satisfaction scores like these, that movie executives won’t want to move forward with another Halloween movie as quickly as possible. It’s probably safe to say that however definitive the ending of Halloween (2018) may or may not be, Michael Myers is unlikely to be gone from multiplexes.
This massive success also begs the question of whether or not other slasher favorites may become a commodity in the coming years. Horror icons like Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th), Pinhead (Hellraiser), Leatherface (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), and Candyman (Candyman) may be due for their own reboots. Chucky (Child’s Play) has an upcoming television series in development with orignal creator Don Mancini at the helm, while the 1980s anthology film Creepshow is also getting a new series courtesy of Shudder in 2019. Greg Nicotero will serve as the primary creative force behind the latter project.
The flood gates already appear to be opening.
OK. I’m going for one BOAST post. Biggest horror movie opening with a female lead.
Biggest movie opening with a female lead over 55.
Second biggest October movie opening ever.
Biggest Halloween opening ever #womengetthingsdone @halloweenmovie pic.twitter.com/DhUBy82z3U— Jamie Lee Curtis (@jamieleecurtis) October 21, 2018
The only thing standing in the way of some specific slashers getting back into theaters are legal issues and logistics. Jason Voorhees and the entire Friday the 13th Franchise is currently caught up in a legal battle with the original writer, halting all production for future incarnations for the foreseeable feature, and actor Robert Englund has vowed to never play the role of Freddy Krueger again.
Can these hurdles stop the return of these beloved horror slashers? Or will they continue coming back over and over again, as they have for decades?
Time will tell, but for now, Michael Myers and Pennywise the clown (IT) are reigning supreme at the horror box office. Let the horror wars and crossovers begin.
