Before he revives the Paranormal Activity franchise with the next installment, director Ian Tuason makes his feature debut with undertone, now playing in theaters from A24.
Undertone debuted in 2,570 theaters across the United States over the weekend, and A24’s latest nightmare scared up an impressive $9.3 million in its domestic box office debut.
The final number for the weekend was $9,339,663, placing undertone in the #3 spot on the domestic chart. The real good news for this one? The reported production budget for undertone was just $500,000(!), with Tuason filming his horror debut inside his childhood home in Toronto. The low-budget, in-your-own-home approach calls to mind Oren Peli’s game-changing found footage hit Paranormal Activity, which made a massive $100+ million at the box office back in 2007 and launched a franchise that Tuason himself is now joining!
A24 picked up undertone last summer for a reported mid-seven-figures, so they’re no doubt happy with their decision right about now. That should end up being a profitable acquisition for A24, and if Tuason has his way, undertone will become an A24 franchise in the near future.
Nina Kiri (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) stars in the acclaimed undertone as Evy, a paranormal podcast host who moves into her dying mother’s house to be her primary caregiver.
When she receives audio recordings of a young pregnant couple experiencing supernatural noises, Evy realizes the woman’s story mirrors her own.
Each new recording scratches at her sanity, drawing her into a fate she cannot escape.
Joe Lipsett wrote in his 4.5-skull rave review for Bloody Disgusting, “I can’t remember the last time a movie made every hair on my body stand up, but undertone got me good.”
