Christopher Landon, the director of the horror movie Freaky, is slamming Hollywood studios for “day-and-date” releases amid the disappointing box office performance of Halloween Ends.
The new horror film grossed $43 million in its opening weekend, which is still a great number, but many experts predicted that it would gross at least $50 million for its first weekend. Last year’s Halloween Kills also opened to $49.4 million with the same day-and-date release strategy.
The two Halloween films were available for streaming on Peacock on the same day the movies were released in theaters.
Freaky came out in theaters in November 2020, when many theaters were still shut down due to the pandemic. The film was released on VOD less than a month after it hit theaters.
Click inside to check out Christopher Landon’s “rant” about the release strategy…More Here! »
The Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton film stayed on top of the sleepy U.S. box office with $1.2 million over the weekend, Variety reported Sunday (November 22).
Freaky led in the previous week as well, taking in an overall $5.6 million in its first 10 days.
“With the continuing surge of the virus this fall, another round of lockdowns and curfews are impacting theaters on a regional basis. Business is down sharply from last weekend as a result of temporary closures, even for films that had proven to hold quite well over the past few months. While the encouraging news of vaccines on the horizon remains a light at the end of the tunnel for the industry, this weekend’s dip at the box office is an expected reminder of the endurance that will be required to push through a very challenging holiday and winter season,” said Box Office Pro’s Shawn Robbins.
Here’s a plot summary: Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Newton) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries. When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. The only problem is she now looks like a towering psychopath who’s the target of a city-wide manhunt while The Butcher looks like her and has brought his appetite for carnage to Homecoming. With some help from her friends—ultra-woke Nyla (Celeste O’Connor), ultra-fabulous Joshua (Misha Osherovich) and her crush Booker (Uriah Shelton)—Millie races against the clock to reverse the curse while The Butcher discovers that having a female teen body is the perfect cover for a little Homecoming killing spree.
Kathryn Newton and Vince Vaughn are swapping bodies in the upcoming horror comedy film Freaky, which follows a teenage girl who switches bodies with a relentless serial killer.
The film is being produced by Blumhouse’s Jason Blum and it was co-written and directed by Happy Death Day‘s Christopher Landon.
Here is the full synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Newton) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries. When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. The only problem is she now looks like a towering psychopath who’s the target of a city-wide manhunt while The Butcher looks like her and has brought his appetite for carnage to Homecoming. With some help from her friends—ultra-woke Nyla (Celeste O’Connor), ultra-fabulous Joshua (Misha Osherovich) and her crush Booker (Uriah Shelton)—Millie races against the clock to reverse the curse while The Butcher discovers that having a female teen body is the perfect cover for a little Homecoming killing spree.
Freaky is hitting theaters on Friday, November 13. Watch the trailer below!
