Movie-goers embraced the horror this weekend scaring up a box office win for slasher thriller Happy Death Day.
The relatively low-budget offering that was made for $5 million and distributed by Universal Studios raked in $26.5 million.
The film stars Jessica Rothe as a college student who relives the day of her brutal death over and over again until she discovers the identity of her killer.
Number one: Happy Death Day took in $26.5 million in its opening weekend. It stars Jessica Rothe as a college student who keeps reliving her murder until she discovers killer’s identity
By comparison, Blade Runner 2049 only brought in $15 million in its second weekend, bringing its total gross to $60,60 million.
The sci-fi sequel starring Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling cost $150 million to bring to the screen.
But despite great reviews from critics and plenty of hype, audiences have shunned the movie.
Costly flop: Blade Runner 2049 starring Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling only brought in $15 million in its second weekend, for a total of $60,60 million. It cost $150 million to make
New release: Jackie Chan’s The Foreigner debuted at number three with the action star on a mission to seek revenge for the death of his daughter
In at number three at the box office is Jackie Chan’s The Foreigner with a debut of $12.8 million.
It continues to do good business, dropping down to number four in its sixth weekend in theatres.
The Kate Winslet and Idris Elba disaster pic The Mountain Between Us rounded out the top five with $5.7 million.
Adventure: The Kate Winslet and Idris Elba disaster pic The Mountain Between Us rounded out the top five with $5.7 million
Jim Orr, executive vice president of domestic distribution for Universal, said the secret of Happy Death Day’s success is a clever script well executed.
‘It’s as much thriller as it is horror film. It’s scary, it’s funny,’ Orr said.
The trailer for the film had also been running in front of Stephen King’s IT which helped boost its appeal especially among young people.
‘This is a horror gold rush at the theaters,’ said comScore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. ‘It’s been perhaps the most consistently positive story this year.’
Great success: Happy Death Day proved once again that horror is the genre of the moment especially for young people
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.