Horror fans were very excited when it was announced that Leigh Whannell had stepped in to replace the departing Derek Cianfrance as director on Universal/Blumhouse's Wolf Man reboot, since the filmmaker had previously delivered his own take on another classic Universal Monster which proved to be a big critical and commercial hit.
Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Whannell is going to be able to repeat The Invisible Man's success.
Wolf Man arrived in theaters on Friday amid mostly negative reviews (it currently sits at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the movie has now come in well below its already modest opening weekend box office estimates.
The downbeat werewolf flick was on track for a $17M-$21M bow, but only managed to take in $10.6M over three days (analysts believe it'll hit $12M by Monday).
It's worth noting that Wolf Man did have a relatively low production budget of $25 million, and the movie could perform a lot better overseas (we'll update once international numbers are in).
In related box office news, Disney's Mufasa: The Lion King has managed to hold on to the No. 1 spot (takings now stand at $588 million worldwide) despite competition from Sony/Tri-Star's comedy One of Them Days, which is looking at a four-day debut of $14 million. Paramount's Sonic The Hedgehog 3 placed fourth in its fifth weekend with $11 million.
Have you been to see Wolf Man? If so, what did you think? Let us know in the comments section.
What if someone you loved became something else?
From Blumhouse and visionary writer-director Leigh Whannell, the creators of the chilling modern monster tale The Invisible Man, comes a terrifying new lupine nightmare: Wolf Man. Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Poor Things, It Comes at Night) stars as Blake, a San Francisco husband and father, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after his own father vanishes and is presumed dead. With his marriage to his high-powered wife, Charlotte (Emmy winner Julia Garner; Ozark, Inventing Anna), fraying, Blake persuades Charlotte to take a break from the city and visit the property with their young daughter, Ginger (Matlida Firth; Hullraisers, Coma).
But as the family approaches the farmhouse in the dead of night, they’re attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside the home as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognizable, and Charlotte will be forced to decide whether the terror within their house is more lethal than the danger without.
The film co-stars Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), Ben Prendergast (The Sojourn Audio Drama) and Benedict Hardie (The Invisible Man). Wolf Man is directed by Whannell, whose previous films with Blumhouse include The Invisible Man, Upgrade and Insidious: Chapter 3.
The screenplay is written by Leigh Whannell and Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum & Rebecca Angelo (Dumb Money). The film is produced by Blumhouse founder and CEO Jason Blum and is executive produced by Ryan Gosling, Ken Kao, Bea Sequeira, Mel Turner and Leigh Whannell.