Leigh Whannell may not be a name that everyone knows but, if you’re a horror fan, he’s undoubtedly touched your life in some way over the past 20 years. As the co-creator of both the long-running hit “Saw” franchise as well as “Insidious,” he’s certainly made a mark. That’s to say nothing of his work as a director, which includes “Upgrade” and “The Invisible Man.” In other words, Whannell’s work is worth paying attention to. Case in point, his new take on “Wolf Man” is drawing more than a few eyeballs and figures to be a big hit for Blumhouse and Universal when it reaches theaters next weekend.
“Wolf Man” is currently looking at an opening weekend in the $20 to $30 million range, per Box Office Theory. That would be a solid start, particularly for a movie that was made on a shoestring $7 million production budget. Granted, that doesn’t include marketing but, even so, this is shaping up to be a sizable success in the early going. It also doesn’t hurt that the last big horror movie to arrive in theaters was “Nosferatu” on Christmas Day, which has killed it up to this point. By next week, however, audiences will be ready for something different.
One thing that definitely figures to be on Whannell’s side here is critical acclaim. While full reviews for the film haven’t dropped as of this writing, the early social media reactions to “Wolf Man” have mostly been very positive despite an early marketing snafu that offered a rather unflattering look at the titular creature’s design in the film. Fortunately, based on the early word, that tragically bad Wolf Man from Halloween Horror Nights last year isn’t wholly representative of the actual movie.
The only downside, really, is that “Wolf Man” will have competition coming down the pipeline. On January 24, Steven Soderbergh’s acclaimed supernatural horror film “Presence” opens in theaters. After that, Warner Bros.’ sci-fi horror flick “Companion” will arrive to close out the month. The latter film has a lot going for it too, as it hails from producer Zach Cregger of “Barbarian” fame. Still, these movies are all playing in different sub-genres, so there could/should be room for everyone.
Can Wolf Man get horror off to a strong start at the box office in 2025?
“Wolf Man” centers on Blake (Christopher Abbott), a man who inherits his remote childhood home in Oregon after his dad mysteriously vanishes. Though his marriage to his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) is on the rocks, Blake convinces her to take a break from the city and visit the house with their young daughter Ginger (Matlida Firth). However, upon arriving at the house, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and must barricade themselves inside the building while the creature lurks. Then, as the night unfolds, Blake begins to act strangely. Horror ensues.
Whannell is coming off of 2020’s “The Invisible Man,” which was a big hit that led him to lock down a first-look deal with Blumhouse. It was also a major winner both critically and commercially, which is part of what led to the filmmaker getting to put his stamp on the werewolf mythos.
If word of mouth isn’t disastrous from moviegoers, with an opening of this size, especially when we take into account overseas grosses, “Wolf Man” could easily become a $100 million global grosser. It’s tracking to open in the same ballpark as “Longlegs” ($22.4 million opening/$126.9 million worldwide) and “Smile 2” ($23 million opening/$138 million worldwide). That’s good company to be in.
Assuming everything works out, Blumhouse is positioned to start 2025 on a much stronger note than it did in 2024. This time last year, if you recall, the studio released “Night Swim,” a horror film that grossed just over $54 million worldwide. It was still a small financial success, but not on the level the studio is often afforded. It wasn’t until “Speak No Evil” came out last September that Blumhouse finally turned things around either. That being the case, 2025 is already shaping up to be a much better time for Blumhouse, horror, and the box office in general.
“Wolf Man” attacks theaters on January 17, 2025.