Who says that well-done, adult R-rated horror can’t make a few bucks? And not that gory torture porn stuff, either — not that there’s anything wrong with that, and let’s not forget that Conjuring director James Wan directed the first Saw — but the atmospheric, haunted house type of horror that successfully creeps you out, especially when it sticks with you at night as you lay in bed listening to your house settling around you.
The Conjuring is now a bonafide hit, having surpassed the $100M mark at the domestic box office this weekend. On a production budget of $20M, that’s quite a handy return on investment. It’s nice to see a well done horror flick get critical, audience and ticket sales support; here’s hoping that James Wan continues to return the the genre even as he makes more blockbuster fare like Fast and Furious 7. The performance of The Conjuring will certainly help propel Insidious: Chapter 2 to strong earnings as well. Let’s just hope that one sticks the landing like The Conjuring and doesn’t fizzle out like the first half of its predecessor.
Even more impressive is the fact that The Conjuring box office makes it, as of now, the ninth highest grossing horror movie of all time. It’s on track to collect in excess of $140M total over its theater lifespan. This can be the start of something really great for horror fans with studio realization that well-made scary films have immense drawing power. However, we all need to keep our fingers crossed that what comes next aren’t simply copycat efforts that dilute the genre.
Source: Bloody Disgusting
