Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’ excellent fashionable adaptation of the 1922 basic by F.W. Murnau, has reached a significant milestone within the efficiency metrics of 2024. Not too long ago launched on Christmas Day, 2024, the vampire film has made greater than $135 million on the field workplace and has sailed previous main releases like Longlegs and The Substance, making it the highest-grossing horror film of the yr that wasn’t a prequel or a sequel. Positive, it is nonetheless a remake, so it is too quickly to say that audiences have embraced originality, although it is a remake of a century-old movie (not counting Werner Herzog’s 1979 model).
1922’s free adaptation of Bram Stoker’s vampire basic Dracula (reworked for authorized causes on the time), Nosferatu has lengthy been esteemed as one of many best horror movies of all time. 2024’s remake was a ardour undertaking for Eggers, whose concept for a brand new adaptation had been brewing in his thoughts since he started making Hollywood films like The Witch. Nosferatu has been his solely tackle a pre-existing IP, however it doesn’t imply it is much less unique than it needs to be. By the point of writing, it holds an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has the precious label Licensed Recent, one which’s not usually given to horror movies.
Nosferatu’s run on the field workplace has been adequate for the movie to declare the title of 2024’s highest-grossing non-sequel, non-prequel horror film. Per the report by Display screen Rant, the title was beforehand within the arms of Longlegs, Osgood Perkins’ serial killer horror movie starring Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe. The movie, distributed by NEON, made $127 million on the field workplace from a manufacturing funds that did not attain $10 million. Eggers’ movie was rather more costly, because the manufacturing funds was reported at a whopping $50 million (a lot of it was most likely spent on paying high-profile actors and capturing areas).
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Different unique horror movies that have been outstanding field office-wise in 2024 embody Exhuma ($93.9 million, the highest-grossing film of 2024 in South Korea), Entice ($82.7 million), The Substance ($79 million), Communicate No Evil ($76.8 million, however it’s a remake, so maybe it would not totally match the class of “unique horror”), Night time Swim ($54.8 million), and Heretic ($51.9 million).
2024 Had Its Truthful Share of Horror Bangers
Final yr noticed the discharge of fantastic horror movies that after once more proved the value of the style in an period of difficult launch schedules and the place streaming platforms every day grow to be extra vital for lesser-known films. The choice is, after all, a theatrical launch, however 2024 additionally proved {that a} digital launch near theatrical helps a movie develop. Within the land of streaming, the chances are all the identical for horror films.
Essentially the most profitable horror movie of the yr was Alien: Romulus, making nicely over $350 million. A Quiet Place: Day One follows with $261 million, and Smile 2 follows with $138 million. The percentages that Nosferatu will win over the horror sequel by Parker Finn are excessive, because it solely has to make lower than $3 million to take a seat in third spot. One might argue that Beetlejuice Beetlejuice also needs to be within the race, and if we resolve to incorporate it, the legacy sequel can be the highest-grossing horror movie of 2024. The Tim Burton movie made greater than $451 million.
What does this show? It proves that horror remains to be the worthwhile style it has all the time been. Whereas franchises and current IP are nonetheless surefire methods to success, the occasional indie can actually blow up the field workplace, proving that you do not want a large funds to make tens of millions. You solely want good advertising. Even one thing as gory and disgusting as Terrifier 3 could make virtually $90 million from a $2 million manufacturing funds.