Hollywood doesn’t need another reason to believe people are going back to movie theaters.
But horror is making the argument anyway.
Insidious: Out of the Further opened this weekend with approximately $25.1 million domestically and another $35 million internationally, giving Sony’s supernatural franchise a solid start.
And that’s happening in a summer already dominated by enormous blockbusters.
The Insidious Franchise Isn’t Going Away
Out of the Further is the sixth installment in the Insidious franchise and follows a new family into the terrifying supernatural realm known as the Further.
Amelia Eve stars as Gemma, a mother who discovers that she has an unusual ability: she can enter the Further — but she can also bring something back with her.
That changes the rules.
The franchise has now earned more than $740 million worldwide, according to Sony, making Insidious one of the more reliable horror properties in Hollywood.
This time, Jacob Chase takes over as writer and director, while franchise veterans James Wan and Leigh Whannell remain involved as producers.
Critics Aren’t Completely Convinced
Here’s where things get more complicated.
The movie has received mixed reviews from critics.
Rotten Tomatoes’ early review roundup points to plenty of jump scares and some entertaining moments, but the critical response has been far from unanimous.
RogerEbert.com was considerably harsher, giving the movie two out of four stars and arguing that the sequel struggles to find enough fresh material within the franchise’s mythology.
That hasn’t stopped audiences from showing up.
And that’s important.
Horror has always been one of the genres where audience interest and critical opinion can diverge dramatically.
You don’t necessarily need critics to tell you whether a horror movie is worth seeing.
Sometimes you just want to be scared.
Horror Is Having Another Strong Summer
The bigger story may actually be the health of theatrical horror.
Insidious: Out of the Further opened behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but it still managed a substantial opening weekend against a movie operating on an entirely different scale.
The film also reportedly cost around $18 million, making its $60 million-plus worldwide start particularly encouraging from a commercial perspective.
That’s the model horror studios love.
A recognizable franchise.
A relatively controlled budget.
A theatrical audience willing to turn up opening weekend.
And, if word of mouth holds, plenty of room for the movie to keep earning.
The Bottom Line
Insidious: Out of the Further may not be the most critically celebrated chapter in the franchise.
But it doesn’t need to be.
The audience showed up.
And in a summer dominated by Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey, the latest Insidious has reminded Hollywood that sometimes people still just want to sit in a dark theater and get scared.