Blumhouse's 'Black Phone 2' Rings Up Success at the Box Office
The horror sequel, directed by Scott Derrickson, has grossed over $42 million worldwide, with a strong $26.5 million domestic opening from 3,411 theaters. This follows a string of misses for the banner, including the costly failure of 'M3GAN 2.0'.
The film's success is attributed to its solid reviews, strong audience reactions, and a CinemaScore of B. Notably, Latinos, the most frequent moviegoers, made up the largest segment of the audience at approximately 39 percent.
The sequel, which cost a modest $30 million to produce, stars Ethan Hawke as the serial killer Grabber. Despite initial predictions of a lower opening, the R-rated sequel outperformed the first film, which opened in 2021 during the early stages of the pandemic and went on to gross over $161 million worldwide.
In contrast, Lionsgate's 'Good Fortune', a comedy directed by Aziz Ansari and featuring a star-studded cast including Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, and Keanu Reeves, did not fare as well. The film, which cost $30 million, took in an estimated $6.2 million domestically from 2,990 locations, falling short of expectations despite its positive CinemaScore of B+.
'Good Fortune' tells the story of a scruffy guardian angel tasked with saving someone's soul. The film's performance highlights the varying fortunes of different genres and casts in the current box office landscape.
