In the mood for a horror flick?
Around this time last week, Flix Brewhouse wasn’t planning to show the horror film Longlegs at its Dallas venue. However, by Thursday, chief revenue officer Chris Randleman noticed a significant uptick in interest at other locations. They quickly contacted the film’s distributor and secured last-minute showtimes. By the end of the night, they had sold 100 tickets, which Randleman noted was unusually fast.
After its succes with #Longlegs, #Neon announced it acquired the rights to #ChrisStuckmann’s horror film #ShelbyOaks. The movie is executive produced by #MikeFlanagan. pic.twitter.com/MoZl3bdBj7
— BoxOfficeReports (@box_office_01) July 16, 2024
Randleman’s instincts proved correct. Longlegs, an occult thriller directed by Osgood Perkins, earned an impressive $22.6 million in its opening weekend. The film stars Maika Monroe as F.B.I. Agent Lee Harker, who tracks a serial killer known as Longlegs. The plot thickens as she discovers a personal connection to the murderer. Ticket sales exceeded expectations, setting a new box office record for the distributor. Previously, Sydney Sweeney’s Immaculate held the record with $5.3 million. The distributor highlighted that only 15 independent studio releases in the past decade opened above $20 million. They didn’t reinvent the wheel but tapped into the kind of movie that people haven’t seen in a while, says Randleman, praising the film’s quality and the effective marketing campaign.
Elissa Federoff, the distribution chief, said the studio began releasing promotional materials in January and continued building anticipation with creepy teasers. We allowed this to keep building, says Federoff. We were encouraged by the filmmakers to create something that reflected the wild ride that is Longlegs.
Weekend Box-Office: DESPICABLE ME 4 still on top while LONGLEGS makes explosive debut in second placehttps://t.co/7NI1gq0Fjm#boxoffice #weekendboxoffice #boxofficereport #news #movies #despicableme4 #Longlegs #LonglegsMovie #DespicableMe4 #insideout2 #FlyMeToTheMoon pic.twitter.com/hQR422siCq
— Entertainment Factor (@The_Ent_Factor) July 16, 2024
The distributor successfully intrigued audiences and converted that interest into ticket sales. Analysts agree that the strategy of not revealing the villain, played by Nicolas Cage, generated significant word-of-mouth. One innovative trailer featured Maika Monroe’s actual heartbeat, spiking from 76 to 170 beats per minute when she first saw Cage in full makeup. Additionally, the studio created buzz by setting up a phone number with a disturbing message from Cage and a retro website detailing the crimes of the Satan-worshipping psycho.
Every indie film hopes for this kind of viral campaign, but 1% of them actually work, says analyst Jeff Bock. People have compared it to Blair Witch, and it did give you those feelings when you were looking at billboards. They were obscure and got people wondering.
Horror has been a reliable genre for theaters, but 2024 has been disappointing for many horror films. Recent releases like The First Omen, Night Swim, Abigail, and Imaginary failed to resonate with audiences. In contrast, Longlegs succeeded with a low production budget under $10 million and a similarly priced digital marketing campaign, leading to substantial profit margins.
We’ve seen a bit of overcrowding in the horror genre, so a lot of those films didn’t click with audiences, says analyst Shawn Robbins. Longlegs had divisive reactions, which contributed even more to interest. Everything it earns from here is a cherry on top of another cherry.
🎬 NEW RELEASE: Longlegs 🎬
📆 Starts showing at Camana Bay Cinema this Friday, 19 July
🎟️ Get your tickets now online or at the cinema box office!FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. pic.twitter.com/y7LoPHj7CS
— Camana Bay Cinema (@camanabaycinema) July 16, 2024
Despite challenges, Federoff believes horror will remain popular because it’s less exploited on streaming platforms, encouraging theater viewings. Audiences can’t just find this in their living room. They understand that they have to come out to theaters to experience this collectively, in a dark space, she says.
Longlegs also stood out as effective counterprogramming amid a summer dominated by family-friendly films like Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4. This achievement is rare in the post-pandemic era, where arthouse movies have struggled. Over the weekend, Longlegs outperformed the new romantic comedy Fly Me to the Moon, which debuted to $10 million despite its $100 million budget.
Longlegs is one of the biggest stories of the summer. We finally have an indie success in the middle of blockbuster season, says Bock. We haven’t seen that in a while.
Key Points:
- Flix Brewhouse quickly added “Longlegs” showings after noticing high ticket sales at other locations.
- “Longlegs” earned $22.6 million in its opening weekend, setting a new record for the distributor.
- The distributor’s marketing strategy, including not revealing Nicolas Cage’s villain character, was highly effective.
- The film succeeded in a year where many horror movies underperformed, with a low production and marketing budget.
- “Longlegs” provided successful counterprogramming against major family-friendly films this summer.
Sandy Henderson – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
