Killing it at the box office, horror movies become unlikely cinema saviours
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At a time when superheroes, sequels and reboots have grown stale among audiences, horror has emerged as an unlikely saviour, entertainment industry veterans say.
This year, scary movies account for 17 per cent of North American ticket purchases, up from 11 per cent in 2024 and 4 per cent a decade ago, according to US-based data analytics firm Comscore.
Thanks to the box office performance of
Sinners and
Final Destination: Bloodlines , and new instalments of popular horror films hitting later this year – including The Conjuring: Last Rites and Five Nights at Freddy's 2 – cinema owners have reason to celebrate.
'We have identified horror as really one of the primary film genres that we are targeting to grow,' says Brandt Gully, owner of the Springs Cinema & Taphouse in Sandy Springs, in the US state of Georgia. 'It can really fill a void when you need it.'
Attendees watch a special screening of Sinners in Clarksdale, in the US state of Mississippi, where the film is set, on May 29, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Producers, studio executives and cinema owners say horror has historically provided a safe outlet to cope with contemporary anxieties. And there is no lack of material to choose from: the aftershocks of a global pandemic, artificial intelligence paranoia, the loss of control over one's body, and resurgent racism.
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