Paramount+ Will Soon Be Welcoming the Horror Hit That Kicked Off a Franchise

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For being based around a story in which its characters are constantly doing everything they can to dodge the icy blade of the grim reaper, Final Destination has had some incredible franchise staying power. The new year welcomes the arrival of the sixth installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, and to celebrate, Paramount+ is inviting audiences to travel back in time to where the terror first started. Beginning on January 2, subscribers will be able to tune in to watch one of the most chilling movies from the turn of the century, when 2000’s Final Destination scares its way onto the streaming platform. Starring Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Tony Todd and more, the movie is one of the genre’s best and the perfect time capsule to represent the types of horror films we were into more than two decades ago.

The late ‘90s and early 2000s were a wondrous time to be a teenager into campy slashers and horrors. Not only did we get to enjoy the arrival of some genre-defining titles like Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and The Faculty, but we got to watch the rise of so many up-and-coming stars of the time. Plus, there will never be a movie poster peak the way there was for these films – in which the main cast members lined up for the shot looking aloof and sexy at the same time. Stepping away from the serial killer-centered slashers that had made franchises like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer such a hit with audiences, Final Destination gave horror fans a faceless villain to fear: Death.

‘Final Destination’s Date with Destiny

The movie introduced audiences to Alex (Sawa), a teenager preparing to embark on a trip overseas with other peers from his high school. Shortly after boarding the plane, Alex experiences a premonition that tells him that the flight is doomed and that the vessel will burst into flames shortly after takeoff. Overtaken with fear, Alex causes a scene, getting himself and several other passengers kicked-off the flight, safely seated inside the terminal when Alex’s grim vision becomes a disturbing reality. The rest of the movie follows Alex and the remaining survivors as they attempt to thwart death’s advances while the grim reaper tries to repay them for skipping out on fate.

Earning more than $112 million at the global box office, Final Destination soared past its production budget of $23 million, marking it as a financial success for the studio. Seeing room for improvement and a franchising opportunity, New Line Cinema flashed the green light for a sequel to go into development, with Final Destination 2 arriving three years later. Despite an ever-changing call sheet from film to film, the movies have continued to grip their dedicated following, with the sixth installment, Final Destination: Bloodlines, set for a theatrical arrival on May 16.

Tango with fate when Final Destination arrives on Paramount+ on January 2.