The only thing really selling right now in movie theaters is horror. Yes, you can say it: “Oh the horror!”
“Invisible Man” directed by Leigh Wannell and starring Elisabeth Moss, a twist on the original sci-fi movie, has made $10 million since Thursday night. The Universal feature could earn as much as $30 million by Sunday night, $25 million on the low end. This “Invisible Man” is loosely based on H.G. Wells’s classic novel. (It has nothing to do with Ralph Ellison’s much more important classic novel of the same name.)
Coming in June: “Candyman,” from the newly reconstituted MGM, a sequel to the 1992 film. Anticipation from horror fans is off the charts. It’s co-written by Jordan Peele, director of “Get Out” and “Us,” and a new horror impresario.
But get this: there have already been 10 horror films in general release this year, which is only two months’ long. They were ranked on Twitter by film writer Ed Douglas: 1. The Invisible Man 2. The Lodge 3. Underwater 4. Fantasy Island 5. Color Out of Space 6. Come to Daddy 7. Gretel and Hansel 8. The Grudge 9. Brahms: The Boy II 10. The Turning
Two of them, “Invisible Man” and “Fantasy Island” come from Blumhouse, Jason Blum’s very smart horror factory. In two weeks, on Friday the 13th, they’ll release “The Hunt.” That’s the film that was originally pulled from the schedule but is now back, barring any tragic big scale shootings in the news.
Boo? Boo hoo. Blum, Peele, and all these other producers are crying all the way to the bank!
