Once associated with a disruptive new brand of horror cinema,Blumhouse Productions has been going through a bit of a rough patchrecently. In its partnership with Universal, Blumhouse has delivered a string of under-performers. The most recent in this cold-streak is the horror rebootWolf Man, which is already nearing the end of its run just around two weeks after its debut. The film hit what could possibly be its final global box office milestone on Monday, a day before itsdebut on PVOD platforms. Universal typically releases its films digitally after 17 days if they gross less than a certain amount.
Wolf Mancertainly falls into that bracket. With around $20 million domestically and another $12 million from overseas markets, the film’scumulative global haul now stands at $32 million.Wolf Manwas produced ona reported budget of $25 million, which means that there’s no way it can be spun into a hit. The movie comes on the heels of similarly disappointing Blumhouse releases such asImaginary,Night Swim,Afraid, andThe Exorcist: Believer. They did, however, pepper this sorry streak with a couple of hits, such asFive Nights at Freddy’sandSpeak No Evil.
The Wolf Man Character Seems To Be Cursed in More Ways than One
The situation for mainstream horror has been dire as a whole in recent months. But at the same time, more art-house titles such asNosferatu,Longlegs,The Substance, andHeretichave done very well commercially. WithWolf Man, Universal would’ve hoped to repeat the success of directorLeighWhannell’sThe Invisible Manreboot, which made over $140 million globally and earned excellent reviews in 2020. Instead, the film’s performance doesn’t inspire much confidence in this stripped-down approach to the Classic Monsters. Universal and Blumhouse also havea reboot ofThe Mummyin the works, alongsideyet another reboot ofThe Exorcist.
StarringChristopher AbbottandJulia Garner,Wolf Manopened to mixed reviews, and currently holds a “rotten” 52% approval rating on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes.In her review, Collider’sEmma Kielydescribed the film as “a boring, contrived family drama that lacks scares and hammers home the importance of the all-American family unit.” The character originated in the 1940s, and was previously re-imagined ina 2010 filmstarringBenicio Del Toroand directed byJoe Johnston. That movie flopped as well.
You can watchWolf Manin theaters and at home, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Wolf Man follows Lawrence Talbot as he returns to his ancestral home following his brother’s disappearance. In the village nearby, a brutal beast is terrorizing the residents, and Lawrence finds himself entangled in the hunt for the creature. As the mystery unfolds, he faces enigmatic family ties and a haunting curse.
