Sony’s Screen Gems shifted gears with their R-rated The Grudge (read our review), which was initially set to overperform in a usually strong January release slot.
Screen Gems, who is known for releasing teen-friendly PG-13 genre films, took a chance with a bloodier and more violent take on The Grudge, which took in an estimated $11.3M domestically through its opening weekend, taking advantage of the final days before kids would return to school.
The sequel/reboot was initially tracking in the $10M range before starting the weekend off strong. Various online analysts expected it could actually overperform and hit $15M, although it appears that negative word of mouth powered by an “F” CinemaScore grade took its toll on the film’s momentum.
This would have been another January hit for Sony, who scored big with Escape Room last year with its Jan. 4 release. Every studio prepping the release of a horror film should rush to claim this weekend. Who will grab the 2021 date first?
In 2004, Sony released the Sam Raimi-produced The Grudge, a remake of the Japanese TV movie Ju-On that was already remade in Japan with the theatrical Ju-On: The Grudge. It would make $110M here in the States with a worldwide take of $187M. It would send the J-horror and remake craze into a (short-lived) frenzy. Its 2006 sequel would end up with $70M globally on a $20M budget, with the third heading direct-to-video.
The new Grudge, directed by Nicolas Pesce, has a reported budget of $10M, which means it needs to see around $30M worldwide before it can be declared a success. The film should see close to that number domestically, which means everything taken in overseas is just icing on the cake. It added $5.8M internationally for a $17.1M global opening.
The latest Grudge follows a detective (Andrea Riseborough) who investigates a serious of suspicious deaths all stemming from one house. Once she enters, the curse latches onto her and won’t let go. Lin Shaye also stars.
[Listen] Lin Shaye and Nicolas Pesce appeared on an episode of Bloody Disgusting’s “The Boo Crew” Podcast (Apple Podcasts, Spotify).
