When Universal released “The Mummy” starring Tom Cruise in 2017, the results were horrific.
The big-budget reboot cost $350 million to make and promote, so the studio lost a sizable chunk of change when the film ended its box office run with $409 million globally. “The Mummy” was intended to kick off an interconnected cinematic universe — dubbed the “Dark Universe” — based on its iconic monsters. But after the pricey cinematic train-wreck, the studio shifted its strategy away from weaving together its classic characters for the horror equivalent of what Marvel pulled off with the Avengers and instead opted to create standalone stories that best suit each movie.
The new approach was put on display this weekend with “The Invisible Man,” a sci-fi thriller with Elisabeth Moss that debuted to $29 million. Blumhouse, led by horror maestro Jason Blum, produced the film for $7 million, excluding marketing and distribution expenses. Though its opening weekend was similar to “The Mummy” ($31 million), ticket sales for “The Invisible Man” put this film on the glide path to profitability, proving horror works best as a low-budget genre. “The Invisible Man” made an additional $20 million at the international box office, despite fears that coronavirus would impact moviegoing in parts of the world.
“You don’t need to spend a lot on a really good horror movie,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst with Comscore. “‘The Invisible Man’ proves that. It’s really about that core story and how it resonates with audiences. That’s been always the best thing about horror.”
