It's been a rough few months for mainstream horror films. But at the same time, their art-house counterparts have done relatively well. Warner Bros'. Companion falls in neither category, and that's probably why its box office performance elicits little more than a shrug. The movie witnessed a hefty fall in its second weekend of release but managed to pass minor milestones both domestically and worldwide. Companion was released in over 50 international markets last week, which doesn't leave much room for growth.
The movie has made $15 million domestically, and another $11 million from overseas markets, for a cumulative global haul of $26 million. Companion was produced on a reported budget of $10 million, which makes it a modest hit, all things considered. Written and directed by Drew Hancock, the movie is co-produced by Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger. Barbarian became a word-of-mouth hit a few years ago, grossing nearly $50 million worldwide. Companion, on the other hand, has performed along the lines of recent horror misfires such as Imaginary and The Watchers.
Some of the biggest horror titles of the last year are Nosferatu and Longlegs. Falling firmly in the elevated horror category, the two movies have grossed a combined total of around $300 million worldwide. More recently, the Universal film Wolf Man barely passed the $30 million mark, against a reported budget of $25 million. There's a sense that audiences are waiting for certain films to land on home video, while some, like Longlegs and Nosferatu, have been successfully sold as community viewing experiences. Companion stars Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid in the central roles; both young stars broke out after starring in major television shows.
'Companion' Earned Excellent Reviews
Thatcher most recently appeared in the horror film Heretic, which made around $60 million worldwide. Before that, she starred in The Boogeyman, which grossed over $80 million worldwide. Quaid, on the other hand, played a major role in Scream V, which grossed almost $140 million globally. Companion opened to excellent reviews, and holds a "fresh" 94% rating on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. In her review, Collider's Emma Kiely called the movie "a painfully accurate and ugly depiction of modern dating, and how men’s treatment towards women, even those they proclaim to love, can still be laced with controlling misogynistic sentiments disguised as nice guy behavior."
You can watch Companion in theaters, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Image via Warner Bros.
English (US) ·