Abigail Box Office Beats Universal’s 2 Disappointing 2023 Vampire Movies In Week 3

Summary

• Abigail
  surpasses Universal’s past vampire movie totals with $28.5M worldwide, beating
  The Last Voyage of the Demeter
  and
  Renfield
  .
• Both
  The Last Voyage of the Demeter
  and
  Renfield
  were box office flops with big budgets, making Abigail’s success expected but not impressive.
• Abigail
  underperformed opening weekend predictions but with a $28M budget and positive reviews, it has potential for future success.

Abigail has beaten two of Universal’s 2023 vampire movies in week 3. Abigail is a horror film about a group of criminals who abduct a young ballerina, only to discover that she is secretly a bloodthirsty vampire. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett direct the film and features a leading cast including Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, William Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Giancarlo Esposito, and Angus Cloud.

Per Collider, Abigail’s third weekend at the box office has allowed it to surpass the totals of two previous Universal vampire films: The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield. Abigail has now earned roughly $28.5 million worldwide. Last year, Renfield earned $26.4 million while The Last Voyage of the Demeter earned $21.7 million, both below Abigail’s current total.

Evaluating Abigail’s Box Office Run

Vampire Movies Have Not Been Doing Well Recently

It is important to note that both The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield were widely considered box office flops for Universal. The budgets of The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield were $45 million and $65 million, respectively. These budgets made it such that both films ended up losing millions of dollars, leading them to be considered massive losses. Abigail surpassing those totals is notable, but it is a low bar to cross.

Abigail is also considered to be underperforming expectations. Prior to Abigail’s release, the film was predicted to take in between $12 million and $15 million at the box office, potentially winning the weekend. The horror film did not quite reach these heights, instead taking in $10.2 million during its opening weekend. Abigail also did not make it to no. 1 at the box office during its opening weekend, losing out to returning hit Civil War.

Looking at Abigail’s box office record, its passing of The Last Voyage of the Demeter and Renfield does not seem as positive. Even though the film has now crossed $28.5 million, its totals are continuing to drop at the box office. The film is unlikely to be considered a box office hit by the end of its run.

Unlike its two predecessors, however, Abigail has a significantly smaller budget at $28 million. It still has a long way to go to be considered profitable, as most films need to about double their budget to break even and then profit. Abigail also received more positive reviews than its vampiric predecessors, giving it hope for a comeback. The film is still in theaters, so there is some hope for Abigail, but beating out Universal’s past vampire flops is not enough for a horror film that is bloodthirsty for success.

Abigail
is currently playing in theaters.

Source: Collider