《Whalefall》美国票房首映收获800万美元

We always appreciate an ambitious, high-concept horror movie with dense mythology and lore that can be unpacked over multiple subsequent installments. On the other hand, we also appreciate a horror movie that is as straightforward as the premise: what if you got swallowed by a whale?

Based on the Daniel Kraus novel of the same name, Brian Duffield‘s Whalefall delivers exactly that: Austin Abrams plays a man who, while out in the ocean, is swallowed by a sperm whale. Not only does his character have to figure out where he is and how to potentially escape, he also is running out of air and has to compensate for just how deep a whale can dive and how he might be able to get back to the ocean’s surface.

Whalefall landed in theaters this weekend and, despite positive reviews, only took in a reported $8 million at the domestic office and $9.5 million internationally for a $17.5 million total. With a reported budget of $60 million, the number falls a bit short of some previous projections. It’s difficult to deduce why the movie may have had a softer opening than expected, especially given its relatively strong 71% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

One thing we do know, however, is that there isn’t a direct correlation between critical reviews and box-office performance. Earlier this month, The Other Mommy earned some of the year’s worst reviews for a wide-release horror title, only for the movie to open to $27.5 million domestically. Making that number more surprising is that it sits at only 17% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s possible that, with it being October, audiences are mainly interested in seeing more conventional tales of terror. The idea of being swallowed by a whale and having to fight for survival is understandably anxiety-inducing, though its ocean-bound terror puts it closer to the realm of something like The Shallows or another water-bound survival adventure. In that sense, opening so late in the year could have deterred viewers who were seeking supernatural stories or were revisiting classic titles.

Abrams likely isn’t sweating the underwhelming box office, as he scored a major hit last month with Resident Evil. Despite the fact that we’ve seen a number of entries in that franchise land in theaters and perform relatively well despite poor reviews, the Zach Cregger movie shattered all expectations both critically and financially.

Whalefall is in theaters now.

What did you think of the movie? Let us know in the comments below!

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