Global Courant
Indiana Jones has faced Nazis and aliens, snakes and the fury of an Old Testament God — but he has never faced the terrors of the Red Door.
Sony’s “Insidious: The Red Door,” the latest installment in the supernatural series, blew by expectations on its opening day with a $15.2 million gross from 3,188 venues — a figure that includes $5 million in Thursday previews. Horror entries usually face front-loaded weekend performances, but the Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films and Blumhouse co-production has fired off with a commanding lead. It looks to land the top spot on domestic charts for the weekend, projecting a $31 million haul and topping last week’s winner “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” in the process.
Ho-hum, it’s another unimpeachable box office success story for the horror genre. Studios and exhibitors are still having trouble fully bouncing back after the COVID pandemic shuttered business — this summer’s box office returns are on track to finish behind last year’s. Horror has been the only consistent game in town for a few years now.
“The Red Door” has been dealt some negative reviews — a 15% approval rating from top critics on review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes — and audiences — as indicated by the “C+” grade on Cinema Score — but the fifth “Insidious” entry doesn’t ‘t have to be hobbled bad word-of-mouth. With a production budget reported at just $16 million, it’s already a decided triumph.
Franchise star Patrick Wilson returns for “The Red Door,” while also stepping behind the camera for his directorial debut — echoes of when Anthony Perkins got the keys to the “Psycho” franchise to helm its 1986 threequel. Ty Simpkins, Andrew Astor and Rose Byrne reprise their roles from the original 2010 “Insidious” for a terrifying new chapter.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” has had a subdued opening thus far, making under $95 million in its first week of release.
The other newcomer at the box office this weekend is “Joy Ride,” which grossed $1.1 million in previews. The R-rated comedy, starring Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu, is set to make between $7 million and $9 million in its debut. Directed by “Crazy Rich Asians” co-screenwriter Adele Lim, “Joy Ride” follows a group of four friends as they jet off in search of one of their birth mothers.
More to come…
