The bigger lesson for Hollywood right here is that vampire films simply aren’t clicking with the moviegoing plenty, and so they frankly have not been for a while. “Twilight” changing into a $3.3 billion franchise may be very a lot the exception, not the rule. For no matter cause, vampires as out-and-out horror fodder simply aren’t bringing out audiences in significant numbers. As one current instance, 2022’s “The Invitation” ($33 million field workplace/$10 million price range) benefited from a small price range and an absence of competitors, however its general gross was nonetheless comparatively small.
Extra usually, we’re taking a look at stuff like “Morbius” ($167 million field workplace/$75 million price range), that could not even leverage Marvel’s good identify to garner success. Save for the “Resort Transylvania” franchise, which may be very a lot benefiting from being family-friendly, it has been some time since a vampire film hit it massive on the field workplace. From what I can inform, we’ve got to return to “Underworld: Blood Wars” ($81 million field workplace/$35 million price range) in 2017, and that was a part of an already-successful franchise.
Even going again a full decade to 2014’s “Dracula Untold” ($200 million field workplace/$70 million price range), the ceiling was comparatively low on the largest scale within the pre-pandemic period. The stuff that labored have been indies resembling “What We Do within the Shadows” or “A Lady Walks Residence Alone at Night time,” which have been each very small films that ended up discovering their viewers over time. Within the pandemic period? Vampire films are really having a tough time breaking by way of.
I am not saying no one ought to make vampire films. We have Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” coming later this 12 months, and if all goes properly, which will break the cycle. However it actually must be understood that the urge for food for these films, usually talking, is restricted. Why precisely that’s? It is robust to say, however the numbers do not lie.
“Abigail” is in theaters now.
