Even though it was a scary experience from the few fans who attended to see the movie including the producers and people who associated with the move, creature only managed to gross $331,000 for 1,507 theaters in North America over the weekend, making this the worst box office opening ever. To add insult to injury, its debut was worse than Transylmania, which is an indie, horror comedy. At the time, it was the worst opening for a film with only 1,000 theaters.
December 2009, Transylmania grossed $263,941 opening with 1,007 theaters. This was an average of $262 per theater. Creature average $220 per theater. This would be to the equivalent to one row of movie fans who might spend on popcorn or snacks if they were seeing The Harry Potter movie that came out this year. Ouch!
Creature was produced for an "undisclosed microbudget" and self-distributed by Sid and Jon Sheinberg's bubble factory. Sid was the president of Universal Studios during the release of Jaws, ET, and Jurassic Park.
The film was directed by Fred Andrews, a production designer for shows like "CSI Miami" and "Without a trace."
Synopsis of movie:
"An ex-Navy seal (played by "True Blood's" Mehcad Brooks), his girlfriend (Serinda Swan of "Breakout Kings") and their friends head out on a road trip to New Orleans. The group decides to stop at a roadside convenience store owned by Chopper (veteran horror actor Sid Haig), who tells them the tale of Lockjaw, a fabled god-like creature who is half-man, half-alligator."
Rotten Tomato gave the film a " six percent flesh rating" which is more than Bucky Larson: "Born to be a star" received. At least it wasn't the worst movie of the weekend.
With the release of Fright Fest 3d and Apollo 18, it seems that horror movies are going downhill when it comes to box office results. I hope this is just a small slump and it gets better in the long run.