Movies
‘Hereditary’ Possesses the Box Office Once Again and Tops A24’s ‘The Witch’
After an absolutely unmerciful D+ CinemaScore in its opening weekend, most of us expected A24’s Hereditary to nosedive this weekend. Nope.
Ari Aster‘s Rosemary’s Baby-esque horror drama, which follows a grieving family descending into madness, dropped only 48% in its second week of release, pulling in an estimated $7M for a domestic total of $27M. As Exhibitor Relations notes, in ten days, Hereditary has already passed The Witch, which topped out with $25M.
Despite the CinemaScore, Hereditary opened last weekend by “overperforming” at the box office with an estimated $13M, which was shockingly A24’s largest opening ever. I had suggested a $25M-$30M box office run, although it now looks to top $40M.
[Read Also] Editorial: Hereditary and the True Horrors of the Grieving Process
Overhype and CinemaScore be damned! I’ve talked about expectations versus reality a few times over the past week, but it’s hard to be angry at A24 for doing their job and selling the fuck out of this movie. Maybe once expectations die down, it’ll finally allow people to digest this infectious drama that’s more Rosemary’s Baby and Ninth Gate than The Exorcist (horrible comparison).
Outside of box office, A24 has to be excited about the film’s outlook on VOD and home video. Toni Collette is nothing short of a shoe-in for an Oscar nomination, which should propel the film’s home video numbers come next January/February. Shit, maybe they’ll even re-release it in theaters and we can all re-experience the film without all the hype and just focus on the performances?
Hereditary was being buzzed as the scariest horror film in years. Our own Fred Topel loved the film, calling it “psychologically and viscerally grueling,” while Trace proclaimed that it “rewards your patience with nightmare fuel.”
In the film also starring Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd, and Milly Shapiro:
“When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster unleashes a nightmare vision of a domestic breakdown that exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur, transforming a familial tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting, and pushing the horror movie into chilling new terrain with its shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell.”
Movies
SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!
As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.
Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:
Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.
Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.
Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.
Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.
Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?
Also check out:
The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.
Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.
And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.
These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.
Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.
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