Box Office: ‘Invisible Man’ Materializes With $1.7 Million on Thursday Night
By Dave McNary
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Universal’s “The Invisible Man” materialized with $1.7 million at 2,850 North American locations on Thursday night.
“” is expected to earn north of $20 million this weekend when it opens in 3,610 theaters across North America. Independent box office tracking services estimate ticket sales could wind up closer to $30 million since word of mouth has been strong. “The Invisible Man,” produced by Blumhouse, is already heading toward profitability, given its modest $7 million budget.
The movie could also pick up steam at the international box office, where it’s debuting in 39 overseas markets, including Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Leigh Whannell, the co-creator of the “Saw” franchise, wrote and directed “The Invisible Man.” It’s a modern-day take on the 1933 Claude Rains film, based on H. G. Wells’ novel. Moss stars as a woman who’s convinced that she’s being hunted by her violent ex-husband, played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. Everyone around her believes she’s losing her mind.
The film also stars Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid and Harriet Dyer. Critics have praised “The Invisible Man,” leading to a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a particularly strong reception for a horror film.
After two consecutive weekends as box office champ, Paramount’s family film “Sonic the Hedgehog” will be battling for second with the sophomore frame of Disney and 20th Century’s “Call of the Wild.” Both opened above expectations and should finish between $10 million and $15 million. “Sonic” has topped $111 million in less than two weeks.
Over the past decade, Blumhouse’s low-cost model has delivered multiple successful titles in the horror-thriller space, including “Get Out,” “Halloween,” “Split,” “Glass” and the “Paranormal Activity” franchise. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said the Blumhouse brand has been highly reliable.
