Latest news with #RyaKihlstedt
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines' unleashes HBO Max premiere after record-breaking box office
Final Destination: Bloodlines is bringing its gory legacy home. After slicing through box office records to become the highest-grossing entry in the long-running horror franchise, the film is set to stream on HBO Max from August 1, with a linear HBO premiere following on August 2 at 8 p.m. ET. The release marks a 77-day theatrical-to-streaming window, offering fans a bloody encore from the comfort of their couches. Released earlier this year, Bloodlines slashed its way to $138.1 million domestically and a staggering $285.3 million worldwide. The movie became an unexpected summer hit, driven by intense word-of-mouth and the franchise's loyal fanbase. Viewers were drawn to its haunting premise: a college student plagued by violent nightmares must return home to confront her family's cursed past and seek help from her enigmatic grandmother, played by Rya Kihlstedt. Directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, the film stars Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Brec Bassinger, and horror icon Tony Todd, whose return as the franchise's eerie harbinger was hailed by longtime fans. The screenplay, crafted by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor from a story developed alongside Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts, introduced a new generation to the terrifying unpredictability of death's design. Ahead of the streaming launch, HBO will host a full-day marathon on August 2 featuring all previous Final Destination films, culminating with Bloodlines at primetime. The network hopes to capitalise on renewed interest in the franchise as speculation swirls around another sequel or even a series reboot. With fresh blood, critical buzz, and nostalgic callbacks, Bloodlines has proven that the franchise still has plenty of life and death left.
CTV News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines' tops box office while The Weeknd's movie falters
This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Kaitlyn Santa Juana, left, and Rya Kihlstedt in a scene from "Final Destination Bloodlines." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP) Death is not looming for the 'Final Destination' franchise at the box office. Its sixth installment, 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' drew big crowds to movie theaters this weekend and easily topped the domestic charts with US$51 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie earned the same internationally, adding up to a $102 million global debut. The same enthusiasm did not meet Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye's experimental thriller 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' which opened outside of the top five with an estimated $3.3 million. 'It was always going to have a tough time coming up against 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,'' said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. 'There was a lot of buzz.' 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' opened in 3,523 locations riding in on a wave of strong reviews (93 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes) and viral marketing tactics, including a picture of logs on the back of trucks — a callback to one of the more infamous 'Final Destination' death traps. 'Final Destination's' win effectively revives a 25-year-old franchise that hasn't had a new film since 2011. It also continues a hot streak for Warner Bros., which has had near back-to-back hits in Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners' and 'A Minecraft Movie.' All three were in the top five this weekend. Disney's 'Thunderbolts' landed in second with $16.5 million, pushing its global total to over $325 million. 'Sinners' placed third with $15.4 million, bringing its global total to $316.8 million. 'A Minecraft Movie,' which has made $928.6 million globally, added $5.9 million. Amazon MGM Studios' 'The Accountant 2' rounded out the top five. 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' opened in sixth place. The film, which Tesfaye co-wrote and Trey Edward Shults directed, is a kind of companion piece to his album and tour. He plays a fictionalized version of himself as an insomniac musician. Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan also star. Neither critics nor audiences greeted it kindly: It carries a 13 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes and was slapped with a C- CinemaScore. AP music writer Maria Sherman wrote that it's 'an exciting vanity project with surrealist imagination but stiff writing, no stakes, limited emotional weight and an unclear narrative.' Lionsgate only handled the release of the R-rated film, which opened on over 2,000 screens and its $3.3 million was enough to make it a profitable deal for the studio. Next weekend could be a big one for movie theaters as 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' and the live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' both open nationwide. The overall domestic box office remains up nearly 15 per cent from last year. 'This weekend is the perfect opening act for what could be one of the biggest Memorial weekends at the box office ever,' Dergarabedian said. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' $51 million. 2. 'Thunderbolts,' $16.5 million. 3. 'Sinners,' $15.4 million. 4. 'A Minecraft Movie,' $5.9 million. 5. 'The Accountant 2,' $5 million. 6. 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' $3.3 million. 7. 'Friendship,' $1.4 million. 8. 'Clown in a Cornfield,' $1.3 million. 9. 'Kiki's Delivery Service,' $1.1 million. 10. 'Until Dawn,' $800,000. Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
