Deadline’s most valuable blockbuster tournament is back. While studios enthusiastically embraced the day-and-date model of cinema during the Corona crisis when theaters were closed, they soon realized that there is nothing more profitable than a theatrical release and the downstreams that come with it. If anything, cinema is the advertisement of a film’s longevity in later home entertainment windows. In 2023, streamers like Apple joined the discussion, who also recognized the need for theater to eventize their films. The financial data compiled here for Deadline’s most valuable blockbuster tournament is selected from experienced and trustworthy sources.
THE FILM
Everyone but you
Sony/Columbia images
Net profit: $103 million
Maia Eyre, head of development at Sony, brought this Will Gluck-Ilana Wolpert project to the studio. Mix up the awesome, sizzling hot combination of euphoria Star Sydney Sweeney and Top Gun: MaverickGlen Powell is Glen Powell and you give Sony a long vacation honeymoon in this romantic comedy revival. Although streaming has displaced the genre, Sony believes date movies still exist. Everyone but you The film opened under the radar over the four-day Christmas weekend and grossed $8 million. It grossed over 10x at the domestic box office with over $88 million and $219 million worldwide. Sony took a page from it Spider-Man: No Way Home Playbook and had Sweeney and Powell do their interviews and social media stunts together, highlighting their chemistry and banter. Sweeney’s social reach was nearly 17 million at the time of the picture’s opening. The marketing cost for this was low at $65 million worldwide, given the huge momentum in digital and social, particularly TikTok, where the following tracks were well received: the duo’s lip sync to Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” (nearly 28 million views ) and “The Dirtiest Pick”. -Up Lines” bit (near 25M). Pics Pay-One comes via Sony’s extensive Netflix deal.
THE BOX SCORE
THE FILM
Insidious: The Red Door
Sony/Blumhouse/Stage 6 films
Net profit: $92 million
Despite some bumps in the road during the production of this fifth horror film, Sony Motion Picture Group Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman remained committed Insidious: The Red Door Stick with the post-July 4th weekend release date, sandwiched between Disney/Lucasfilms Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Paramounts Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. red door surprised, annoyed Indiana JonesIn its second weekend at No. 1 with $33 million in the US, the latter film lost out due to poor word of mouth at its Cannes premiere. red door He then also achieved the second-best start for the franchise Insidious: Chapter 2 ($40.2 million). Previously, Film District and Focus Features were responsible Insidious Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group has always held North American rights since purchasing TIFF’s first title Midnight Madness in 2010 for less than $1 million after its box office release. James Wan, who directed the first two Insidious Films, suggested the idea red door to Blumhouse in 2018 to keep the franchise alive with another series starring the Lamberts’ son, Dalton Insidious 1, 2 And 4. The idea was to bring the entire original cast back together, including Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Insidious Architect Leigh Whannell and Lin Shaye. Wilson was able to accomplish this feat and assemble the cast Aquaman Actor makes his directorial debut here. Sony co-president Josh Greenstein developed a campaign using the gimmick “What’s Behind the Red Door?”, an outdoor stunt in various cities that went viral thanks to social media influencers.
THE BOX SCORE
THE FILM
Life II
New line/nuclear monster
Net profit: $85 million
This is a testament to how the power of a brand works through thick and thin at the box office. While several films were postponed from the fall and late August due to the actors’ strike, which left cast members unable to do publicity, New Line kept it in place Sequel to his most successful film incantation Movie, The nun ($366 million) in the calendar. People went with it, with the sequel about a demon-fighting nun grossing $32.6 million in the post-Labor Day Warner Bros. frame for hot horror pictures and $86.3 million in the US and $269 worldwide. grossed $5 million. The picture’s director, Michael Chaves, was discovered by New Line executives Walter Hamada and Dave Neustadter and hired to direct 2019 The Curse of La Llorona (Small Movie, Big Profits title from this year’s Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament) was invited to take over the reins here.
THE BOX SCORE
THE FILM
Scream VI
Binoculars/Dimension/Paramount
Net profit: $60 million
After restarting the Scream After the franchise debuts in 2022 ($81.6M domestic, $137.7M worldwide) with stars from the original franchise as well as new stars and genre filmmaker Radio Silence in the director’s chair(s). ) had begun, a sequel was quickly ordered. What sent this film into another stratosphere was the halo effect of its leading lady, Jenna Ortega, coming from the most-watched Netflix series of all time. Wednesday. She saw the stabbing and Scream 2022 star Melissa Barrera travels to NYC for the first time on the series. Fans thoroughly enjoyed it with a grade of B+, the same high grade as its predecessor Scream and still the best for the franchise. The high Latino and Hispanic moviegoer turnout of 38% fueled Dimension’s biggest opening with $44.4 million domestically, bringing in $108.2 million domestically, and $169 million -dollars worldwide, the second highest grossing grosser Scream Film of all time based on the 1996 original. Spyglass is rebooting this film again for Part 7, with the exit of Ortega and the firing of Barrera due to her online statements about the Gaza war. It will be directed by original franchise writer Kevin Williamson, with series original writers Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox in discussion.
THE BOX SCORE
THE FILM
Evil Dead Rise
New line
Net profit: $46 million
What happens when you take exciting films and bring them from streaming to theaters? You make money. This New Line reboot of the Sam Raimi franchise was supposed to go to HBO Max, commissioned during the Jason Kilar-WarnerMedia era when they were pumping millions into original films for the service. Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav is leading the studio to deviate from this strategy (for the most part – yes, there are exceptions to the contrary, such as New Line’s Stephen King film). Salem’s property Transition from Theater to Max), with Evil Dead Rise is one of these titles. Warner Bros. sales and marketing executives noticed what the trailer looked like Evil Dead Rise electrified CineEurope and opted for a domestic release of the film; Launch it from SXSW first. The picture received a B CinemaScore, higher than the 2013 reboot evil Dead which landed a C+. Every horror movie has had a marketing hook that resonates and is scary, for example: the masked guy in it The black phone or the evil, smiling people Smile. Here is the evil mother and the trailer where she is trapped in the elevator. Evil Dead Rise opened to a solid $24.5 million in the US given a market still dominated by Super Mario Bros on its third weekend. The final take was $67.2 million domestically and $147 million worldwide.
THE BOX SCORE