Blumhouse is arguably the name in modern horror. As the studio behind massive franchises like “Paranormal Activity” and singular, game-changing hits like “Get Out,” the house that Jason Blum built has earned its place. However, the studio has had a rocky stretch at the box office between 2024 and 2025, with the misses far outweighing the hits. As a result, it desperately needs the upcoming “Black Phone 2” to be a success. So, can director Scott Derrickson strike gold twice?
“Black Phone 2” is currently eyeing a domestic debut in the $20 to $28 million range when it opens next weekend, per Box Office Theory. That would be, by a wide margin, Blumhouse’s biggest opening of the year and the studio’s best debut since “Five Nights at Freddy’s” bowed to $80 million at the box office back in 2023. “Freddy’s” went on to become Blumhouse’s biggest movie ever with $297 million worldwide.
2022’s “The Black Phone,” based on the Joe Hill story of the same name, opened to $23.6 million en route to a substantial over-performance with $161.4 million worldwide, all against a very reasonable $18 million budget. $71.3 million of that money came from overseas. So, the sequel is in good shape, with those early estimates pointing to it becoming a similarly sizable hit. And while its budget has yet to be revealed, Blumhouse has never made a movie above the $30 million range, and it’s unlikely that streak is going to break here.
“Black Phone 2” once again centers on Finn (Mason Thames), now 17, who is struggling with life after being held captive by The Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), meanwhile, begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone. Determined to solve the mystery linking her haunting visions to the real-life Alpine Lake winter camp, she and Finn decide to visit the latter during a bad storm. Unfortunately, it turns out The Grabber is waiting for them there from beyond the grave. Yes, the “Black Phone 2” trailers have made it clear: The Grabber is going full Freddy Krueger this time.
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Fair or not, the pressure is on for Black Phone 2
Madeleine McGraw as Gwen hiding behind a wall from Ethan Hawke as The Grabber in Black Phone 2 – Universal Pictures
It can’t be emphasized enough just how rough things have been for Blumhouse at the box office as of late. Even if we set aside 2024 disappointments such as “Imaginary” and “Afraid,” 2025 has been one disaster after another. It all started with “Wolf Man” ($35 million worldwide/$25 million budget), which fell way short of lofty expectations. It got worse as “The Woman in the Yard” ($23 million worldwide/$12 million budget) and “Drop” ($28 million worldwide/$11 million budget) failed to deliver an original success for the studio.
The worst came when “M3GAN 2.0 absolutely bombed at the box office, taking in just $39 million globally against a $25 million budget. The original was a smash hit with nearly $182 million to its name. Needless to say, fair or not, that has put a lot of pressure on “Black Phone 2” to deliver the goods. Blumhouse can’t afford another major disappointment.
The good news is that director Scott Derrickson has delivered for Blumhouse in the past. “Sinister” made nearly $90 million worldwide on a shoestring $3 million budget. Derrickson reunited with screenwriter and producer C. Robert Cargill for the sequel, crafting an original story that serves as a continuation of Hill’s short that inspired the first film.
In addition, it appears that critics are on the movie’s side thus far. In his review of “Black Phone 2” for /Film, Rafael Motamayor called it a “fantastic sequel” that “explores new avenues and adds to the experience of the first film.” It’s also the de facto big horror movie of choice for the Halloween season, which is going to help the cause. At least for the moment, it looks like this movie has a good shot at ending Blumhouse’s cold streak.
“Black Phone 2” hits theaters on October 17, 2025.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
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