Even though Annabelle Comes Home (read our review) had a rough domestic run, the third film in the Annabelle franchise and (technically) seventh in the Conjuring Universe still managed to spook audiences globally for an impressive worldwide gross of $211M.
With a global opening of $76M, Annabelle Comes Home opened in the profit zone and everything from there on out was gravy. I had pegged it to top $150M in its full run, which was already astounding for a film budgeted in the $12-20M range. In fact, it was able to work past The Curse of La Llorona, which had a stronger domestic opening. Still, it won’t come near the $250M and $300M benchmark of its two predecessors. Diminishing returns or box office clutter? It’s important to note that films are taking a pounding from this summer’s clutter, including that of Godzilla, Child’s Play and even Ma, and that New Line made the conscious decision to open their doll-themed film against Child’s Play and Toy Story.
The Sam Raimi-produced Crawl (review), directed by horror auteur Alex Aja (Haute Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors, Piranha 3D, Horns), also hit a landmark $53M on its reported $13.5M budget. Pitting Kaya Scodelario against a massive alligator in the middle of a hurricane, the Paramount Pictures release is well into the profit zone, even if the international numbers aren’t stellar. This is cause for celebration as the success of a smaller film like Crawl gives other studios confidence to greenlight similar projects.
To think, fall isn’t even here yet…
Kaya Scodelario stars in CRAWL from Paramount Pictures. Photo Credit: Sergej Radović.
