Horror’s making more bloody money than ever, so where’s Friday the 13th?
By Joey Click
After almost two years of huge horror hits, the industry’s taking the genre seriously. But where’s Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th?
Friday marks yet another Friday the 13th without a return of Jason Voorhees….
Since M. Night Shyamalan Split in January 2017, horror has been rising. Making $138 million domestically on a $9 million budget, the stellar film marks a change in the world of horror. Following it’s path to box-office supremacy, the wonderful surprise that is Jordan Peele’s Get Out also see big money. Taking in $176 million from a $9 million price tag, the move became a smash hit — both Blumhouse Productions outings.
Then Andy Muschietti IT obliterated the box office. The New Line film, made for only $35 million, eventually makes over $300 million at the US box office alone — a mind boggling number. And today, it’s happening again.
As of this writing, John Krasinski’s A Quite Place is already looking at $53 million after costing a measly $17 million before P and A. So with horror such a high prospect, now making numbers once reserved for studio blockbusters, it has me thinking: Where’s the new Friday the 13th?
His Name Is Jason And We’re Waiting For His Next Birthday
Friday the 13th — Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
While an argument can be made that the ongoing lawsuit between series godfather Sean S. Cunningham and original writer Victor Miller is halting a possible project, I doubt that’s the case (although it’s possible).
In fact, after gaining rights to the next film from the Interstellar Warner deal, a new film was in the making. Then, Rings failed to generate business, the project came to a screeching halt. Which is shocking — how The Ring IP can compare to the iconic Friday the 13th franchise is beyond me.
Moreover, taking the box office business out of the equation, there’s the wildly popular video game. Coming from emerging developer Gun Media, the game’s solid over 2 million copies and that’s a figure from months ago. Who knows how much blood’s been spilling in virtual Camp Crystal Lake since. Either way, dollars are flying everywhere from the game.
So seriously Paramount, if you still have the option, or Warner, where’s the next Friday the 13th film?
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Without taking into account everything above, there’s still how little these things cost. Friday the 13th, since the negative pick-up days, is a franchise made for pennies. Each film, made for almost nothing, always made a profit — even during a time horror is looked at like porn.
With nineties kids now having children old enough to earn their own money, there’s never been a bigger marketplace for the macabre. A decent Friday film can be made for $10 million and it’ll do at least $19 mill in the opening weekend alone. While it may not have legs like IT, the flick could easily take home $35 million on conservative estimations in the end. So really, it’s a no brainer for studio heads.
Also, this October, the Halloween franchise is making a glorious return to the big screen. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis and with John Carpenter involvement, the new film, also from Blumhouse, looks to be already generating early buzz. If the film’s a hit, a new Jason Voorhees splatventure is almost like making free money. But as someone obsessed with the business knows, easy money is often hard fought by stubborn execs.
So I ask again, where’s our new Friday the 13th?