New Line Cinema’s It: Chapter Two (read our review) continues to shred the box office competition, topping Hustlers in its first week of release. The sequel to the fresh Stephen King adaptation currently sits at $323 globally and is looking to float to somewhere in the $500M-$700M range in is full run. At a $65M reported budget, this is a huge, huge hit for the studio who is more than likely going to find a way to make another. While this “franchise” was always pegged as a two-parter, it would be nice to see a prequel giving us more backstory on the origins of the elusive Pennywise.
Even though it’s exciting times for New Line Cinema and Pennywise, the real reason for this article is to showcase Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (review), which is quietly working its way towards $100M worldwide. As of this writing, it’s tiptoed its way to a surprising $91M. With a dangerous $25M budget, a recoup initially seemed highly unlikely, only the $26M collected overseas has helped it cross the profit threshold…and then some. With a reduced budget, I could see Lionsgate moving forward on a sequel, although it’s unclear how the closing of CBS Films will affect the Guillermo del Toro-produced franchise.
Lastly, Fox Searchlight’s horror-comedy Ready or Not, the critically acclaimed R-rated “Disney” film, has found even more money from international audiences and is now sitting at an impressive global total of $41M. Budgeted at a reported $6M, the film only needed $20-25M to recoup its small investment, which makes this a hit for Disney’s newly-acquired specialty studio.
Ready or Not, which is from V/H/S and Southbound filmmakers Radio Silence, follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband’s (Mark O’Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.
We want to see more games played!
