Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | Film | July 10, 2023
Horror films tend to be safe bets at the box office. They’re typically made for small budgets, are easy to market, and can earn their keep in only a few short weeks before a lucrative and long shelf life as a scary movie staple. The Insidious franchise is no stranger to this cycle. Still, nobody expected Insidious: The Red Door to outrun an Indiana Jones movie that’s only in its second week of release. Points to Patrick Wilson.
Yes, Insidious: The Red Door grossed $32.6 million in its opening weekend, which is over $6 million more than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. That’s not great news for Disney, given that this sequel was meant to be a safe Summer blockbuster hit and it reportedly cost between $250 - 300 million. Audiences just didn’t seem interested in a new Indy movie, and lukewarm reviews weren’t going to encourage them to step out for it. The film itself is fine, which is kind of a problem. Are we really accepting ‘just fine’ when it’s so expensive to go to the cinema? Let’s hope Disney doesn’t try to delete this film as a tax write-off.
Debuting at number three is Sound of Freedom, a Christian QAnon-adjacent film starring noted sensible person Jim Caviezel. It made an impressive $18.2 million in its wide release weekend. It’s inspired the usual foray of headlines about what an unexpected smash faith-based films can be, but we see those articles every time a Christian movie makes bank. It’s a reliable audience, always has been. This film just seems especially, uh, kooky compared to even the worst Kirk Cameron crap.
The comedy Joy Ride landed at number six with $5.85 million. It debuted behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is holding on strong after six weeks thanks to strong word-of-mouth. That and it’s already surpassed the domestic gross of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which had a month-long head-start!
In limited news: thriller The Lesson earned $157,752 from 268 locations; indie sci-fi Biosphere grossed $34,000 from 48 cinemas; and the Italian comedy Amanda made $9,450 from two theatres.
This coming week sees the release of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One. Strap in, folks.
You can check out the rest of the weekend box office here.
