THB #570: Fiscal Perspective on Longleg$

There have been 59 horror movies opened during the summer months (May- Aug) that have opened to more than $10 million. Ever.

The only one released by a non-major, small independent is The Blair Witch Project, which was opened by Artisan Entertainment to $29 million in 1999.

You could say there are exceptions - MGM, DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and Miramax/Dimension - but my point is really that the A24s and STXs of the world haven’t leapt this bar to date.

For absolute clarity, Lionsgate’s biggest summer horror opening was The Last Exorcism with $20.4 million in August 2010. 

It appears that Neon might challenge that number with Longlegs this weekend. So here is some factual perspective before it happens.

Here are the 40 horror movies (you might disagree with including a few titles) that have opened between $10 million and $25 million in the summer months, organized by year… title, opening, total domestic gross, release date, studio…

stats excavated from Box Office Mojo

You may notice… 4 horror films met this measure in 2019… 4 more in 2021… none in 2022 or 2023.