Blumhouse movies have always stood tall in spite of their low-budget fares, consistently delivering spine-chilling Box-office hits that captivate audiences worldwide. As the curtains draw on the holiday weekend, the box office landscape reveals a surprising and record-breaking twist. Blumhouse’s stealthy horror sensation, “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” has clawed its way to the top, becoming the studio’s undisputed champion in the global box office arena.
Amidst the holiday weekend chaos dominated by Disney’s enchanting “Wish” and Ridley Scott’s epic “Napoleon,” it was the unassuming horror flick that stealthily ascended the ranks. Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” managed an unexpected encore at the summit for a second consecutive weekend. However, the true revelation was Blumhouse’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” quietly securing its place in the top 10 again.
Related Read: 10 Best Horror Movies on Peacock
Directed by the talented Emma Tammi, “Five Nights at Freddy’s” not only held its ground during the Thanksgiving weekend but also seized the ninth spot, accumulating an additional $1.75 million domestically in its fifth week. The film’s global box office haul now stands at a staggering $297.1 million, firmly establishing it as the reigning monarch of Blumhouse’s cinematic empire. It just recently surpassed the likes of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” and the 2018 slasher sensation “Halloween,” “Freddy’s” has etched its name in history as the highest-grossing Blumhouse movie to date.
What sets this horror triumph apart is the unconventional strategy employed by Blumhouse and the film’s director. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” broke new ground by simultaneously releasing on Peacock, allowing audiences to indulge in its chilling delights from the comfort of their homes on the very day it premiered in theaters. A bold move that paid off handsomely, as the film’s domestic earnings reached $137.2 million, a testament to its unparalleled success, even with the streaming option limited to the U.S.
In the following list, sourced by The Numbers, from Five Nights at Freddy’s to M3GAN, we take a look at the top 10 Blumhouse Movies According to the Global Box Office.
10. Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
With A production budget of $3,000,000, Paranormal Activity 2 churned in a whopping $40,678,424 in the opening weekend itself, making its success unprecedented. Released on October 20th, 2010, the film went on to $177,512,032 at the Global Box Office, securing the number 10 spot on the top Blumhouse Movies.
9. M3GAN (2023)
M3GAN, the last in the line of Blumhouse Movies released earlier this year, was an unexpected Box-office smash thanks to the brilliant PR champaign run by the studio. In its opening weekend itself, M3GAN managed to rake in $30,429,860, with its eventual Global Box Office total leading to $181,796,517.
8. Insidious: The Red Door (2023)
Another mid-year hit from Blumhouse Movies was the latest chapter in the Insidious franchise. While Insidious: The Red Door wasn’t a critical darling like the initial films in the franchise, it had an impressive run at the Global Box Office, partly because of the popularity the movie has all over the world. Made at a budget of $16,000,000, the final tally at the global box office was $186,258,928.
7. Paranormal Activity (2007)
No one expected the popularity that the very first Paranormal Activity movie managed to have. Made at a mere budget of $450,000 and making only $77,873 in its opening weekend, the brilliant word of mouth managed to help the film earn a whooping $194,183,034 at the Global Box office.
6. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
In spite of the poor critical reception, 2011’s biggest Blumhouse movie was the third part of the Paranormal Activity franchise. The opening weekend for the third film has been one of the most successful Blumhouse projects, with an earning of $52,568,183 and the eventual tally rising to $207,039,844.
5. Glass (2019)
Talking about franchises that come out of nowhere, the third part of the unexpected Unbreakable franchise by M. Night Shyamalan managed to bring Blumhouse Movies a whole lot of cash home. Made on a budget of $20,000,000, Glass was not as big a success as most of us anticipated, but it still managed to tall up the global box office to $246,999,039.
4. Get Out (2017)
Talking about a true global sensation, Jordan Peele’s Get Out won hearts everywhere, with both audiences and critics loving the low-budget horror chills that the satire managed to bring their way. The final Global Box Office number clocked in at $252,297,405, which is impressive because no one thought that Peele’s debut would be so well-loved.
3. Halloween (2018)
When David Gordon Green announced that he would be bringing the Halloween film series back to life, this direct sequel was met with loud sighs, and while audiences were not as receptive to the film, the box office told a different story. The final global box office number for the Halloween movie was $255,416,089, making it into the top 3 of Blumhouse movies based on Box Office earnings.
2. Split (2017)
Now and again, Blumhouse movies have broken the prejudice of early year releases not doing good business. However, most of the movies on this list have been early releases, including Split, which was released on January 20th, 2017, and had a budget of $9,000,000. The opening weekend for the film wasn’t as grand as some of the other movies on the list, but good word of mouth and the fact that Shyamalan had made a franchise out of it made the overall worldwide box office race up to $278,754,594.
1. Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
As mentioned above, the most unexpected thing here is the success of Five Nights at Freddy’s. The film, which wasn’t a critical success, was allowed to release on VOD and Peacock the same day as its theatrical release. However, thanks to the holiday season fanfare, the film has raced to the top spot of Blumhouse movies based on Global Box Office with the current tally (as of 28th November 2023) at $297,144,130. So, in spite of the critical bashing, you can expect Blumhouse to make a franchise out of it, especially seeing how the video game adaptation already has multiple possible plot threads that can be followed.
