Last weekend, the movie world was abuzz with the release of James Wan’s latest horror flick, Malignant. Starring Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, and George Young, the film follows Madison Mitchell, who is haunted by horrific visions of a mysterious figure committing brutal murders. Upon its release, the film received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising the mind-bending twist in the third act. As of this writing, it holds a respectable 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audience reception has been more divided, with a score of 53%.
Despite the critical acclaim and buzz surrounding the film’s twist, Malignant failed to make a significant impact at the box office, opening with a mere $5.4 million domestically. The film also underperformed on HBO Max, with 753,000 households tuning in, according to Samba TV. This is 53% below the Wan-produced The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, which had 1.6 million viewers per household during its opening weekend. So, what went wrong for this highly anticipated horror movie? Let’s delve into the possible reasons behind Malignant‘s box office failure.
Warner Bros. Struggled to Promote the Film Without Spoilers
The hype for Malignant didn’t truly begin until the Thursday evening/Friday of its release week. Prior to that, the film’s marketing was relatively quiet, with generic trailers providing only minimal information about the plot. Typically, when a review embargo isn’t lifted until the last minute, it’s a sign that a movie is subpar. However, in this case, Warner Bros.’ strategy was to prevent spoilers for the film’s shocking twist.
This made Malignant a challenging film to promote. The trailers made it seem like a run-of-the-mill horror story that audiences had seen countless times before. The positive reviews helped generate some buzz, but critics were careful not to discuss the plot in order to preserve the spoiler-free experience for viewers. As a result, many potential moviegoers had no idea what the film was actually about, which may have deterred them from buying tickets. In essence, Malignant is a thrilling, fun film with a wild twist, but it would have been better suited for a midnight or Halloween screening. The hype simply came too late.
A Lack of Star Power Hindered the Film’s Appeal
In addition to the challenges of promoting Malignant without revealing spoilers, the film also suffered from a lack of big-name talent. The 2014 film Gone Girl faced similar issues, but it had the advantage of being based on a well-known intellectual property and starring Ben Affleck, who was generating buzz for his upcoming role as Batman. Additionally, director David Fincher’s reputation as a respected filmmaker helped to offset the generic trailer and pique audience interest.
In the case of Malignant, the biggest name attached to the project was James Wan himself. While Wan has an impressive resume, including Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring, his name alone wasn’t enough to draw in large crowds. Annabelle Wallis, the film’s lead, is best known for her role in 2014’s Annabelle, as well as appearances in Peaky Blinders and The Mummy reboot. The supporting cast members primarily had experience in independent films or television shows. While Wan’s return to horror after five years should have generated more excitement, Warner Bros. struggled to market the film without giving away its twist.
Although there’s no guarantee that a bigger name would have significantly boosted the film’s performance, star power can often help sell tickets. Annabelle Wallis delivers a fantastic performance in a complex role, but Warner Bros. should have considered attaching an A-list name to the project before moving forward. While Malignant isn’t a total loss due to its modest production budget, it serves as a valuable lesson for studio executives in the future.
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