Movies
RIP James Horner (1953-2015)
It is with a heavy heart that we bring news that, earlier today, famous film composer James Horner lost his life in a plane crash in Santa Barbara, California. When Variety reported on the incident earlier, it was only clear that the private plane was the property of Horner and that the then-unidentified pilot had been killed. Speculation has run rampant since and official confirmation has not yet been made. According to a statement by his assistant, as well as what we have heard from our own industry connections, it appears that it was indeed Mr. Horner himself who perished in the crash.
An esteemed veteran film composer who had worked in the industry since the late 1970s, James Horner created an impressive body of work that spanned across numerous genres and mediums. From action (48 Hrs., Commando) to drama (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) to high adventure (The Rocketeer, The Mask of Zorro) to historical epics (Braveheart, Titanic), Horner excelled musically at almost every subject he put his mind to. And then, of course, there are his contributions to our own favorite genres.
Horner was no stranger to science fiction, fantasy, and horror; crafting the scores to some of our most beloved classic and cult favorites. Aliens, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Wolfen, Humanoids from the Deep, Krull, Willow, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Avatar, and even Hocus Pocus are but a few from his countless contributions to the cinema of the fantastique and all contain themes that continue strike a chord with this writer today.
Rest in peace, Mr. Horner. You will be missed and your work will never be forgotten.
Movies
‘Abigail’ on Track for a Better Opening Weekend Than Universal’s Previous Two Vampire Attempts
In the wake of Leigh Whannell’s Invisible Man back in 2020, Universal has been struggling to achieve further box office success with their Universal Monsters brand. Even in the early days of the pandemic, Invisible Man scared up $144 million at the worldwide box office, while last year’s Universal Monsters: Dracula movies The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield didn’t even approach that number when you COMBINE their individual box office hauls.
The horror-comedy Renfield came along first in April 2023, ending its run with just $26 million. The period piece Last Voyage of the Demeter ended its own run with a mere $21 million.
But Universal is trying again with their ballerina vampire movie Abigail this weekend, the latest bloodbath directed by the filmmakers known as Radio Silence (Ready or Not, Scream).
Unlike Demeter and Renfield, the early reviews for Abigail are incredibly strong, with our own Meagan Navarro calling the film “savagely inventive in terms of its vampiric gore,” ultimately “offering a thrill ride with sharp, pointy teeth.” Read her full review here.
That early buzz – coupled with some excellent trailers – should drive Abigail to moderate box office success, the film already scaring up $1 million in Thursday previews last night. Variety notes that Abigail is currently on track to enjoy a $12 million – $15 million opening weekend, which would smash Renfield ($8 million) and Demeter’s ($6 million) opening weekends.
Working to Abigail‘s advantage is the film’s reported $28 million production budget, making it a more affordable box office bet for Universal than the two aforementioned movies.
Stay tuned for more box office reporting in the coming days.
In Abigail, “After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.”
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