Movies
[TIFF ’13] Relativity Acquires Terrifying ‘Oculus’
Relativity is in final negotiations to partner with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Prods. to buy Oculus at the Toronto International Film Festival, Variety is reporting.
The deal was announced four days after Oculus world premiered in the Midnight Madness section at Toronto.
Read Mike Pereira’s raving review of Oculus here.
Relativity said it plans a wide release but has not set the date.
The film was directed by Mike Flanagan from a script he wrote with Jeff Howard, based on the short film that Flanagan and Jeff Seidman created in 2005.
“It is centered on a cursed 300-year-old mirror with a brother and sister (Thwaits and Gillan) finding the cause of their parents’ deaths — a mirror which has caused destruction in over its 300-year history.“
Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaits and Katee Sackhoff star. The film was produced by Mark D. Evans and Trevor Macy via Intrepid Pictures.
FilmDistrict acquired U.S. distribution rights at Cannes last year but has backed away from that pact recently due to a proviso calling for a wide release. So the project’s U.S. rights were up for sale again through Paradigm.
Just three years after Evil Dead Rise set the box office on fire with a $147 million worldwide haul, Evil Dead Burn was unleashed into theaters this past weekend. Unfortunately, the opening weekend for Evil Dead Burn wasn’t quite as strong as the debut for its predecessor.
Evil Dead Burn debuted in 3,004 theaters across North America and scared up $13.7 million in its domestic debut, about $10 million less than Evil Dead Rise‘s $24.5 million opening.
Worldwide, Evil Dead Burn debuted with $27 million. Given the film’s production budget was somewhere in the ballpark of $20 million, all is certainly not lost for Evil Dead Burn. That said, Warner Bros. and New Line no doubt hoped that Burn would top or at least match the domestic opening of Rise, but instead we’re looking at a case of diminishing franchise returns.
The good news for fans? Next installment Evil Dead Wrath has already wrapped production for expected release in 2028, so there’s no danger of the franchise ending with Evil Dead Burn.
Evil Dead Wrath from director Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County) is currently set for theatrical release on April 7, 2028, though that could change in the coming months.
Will the Evil Dead franchise be taking a break after Evil Dead Wrath? That all depends on how Wrath performs at the box office. But for what it’s worth, the post-credits scene at the end of Evil Dead Burn suggests that the franchise’s creators are hopeful for a bright future ahead.
The critical reception for Evil Dead Burn was a bit less positive than the reception to Evil Dead Rise, with Rise hitting 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and Burn currently sitting at 71%. It’s interesting to note, however, that the “Popcornmeter” on Rotten Tomatoes is a bit higher for Burn than it was for Rise, with Burn‘s currently at 80% and Rise‘s sitting a tad lower at 76%.
The site’s “Popcornmeter” scores are decided by users, rather than verified movie critics.
Which do you prefer? Evil Dead Rise or Evil Dead Burn? Sound off below.
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