Peacock May Have Hindered Halloween Ends' Box Office
Everyone loves a good rivalry, and the only thing better than seeing two longtime adversaries go at it in a rematch is seeing them go head-to-head in a final showdown. The 2022 horror film "Halloween Ends" features what some would think would be a lucrative rubber match between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, but it doesn't seem like many people are trying to get tickets to this fight.
There was arguably a lot of hype surrounding "Halloween Ends," with fans excited to see the franchise's two leading players entering into the climactic duel with only one standing tall before the credits rolled. That is precisely what viewers got; however, "Halloween Ends" still seems to be divisive amongst fans. The reviews are a bit mixed as well, leaning a bit more toward the negative, with Variety saying it's "neither scary nor fun" and RogerEbert.com's take being it's "barely a 'Halloween' movie." The scores on Rotten Tomatoes are also pretty dismal, arguably indicating that Laurie Strode's last bout with evil itself isn't necessarily her best foray into the franchise. But the criticism from critics and fans isn't the only thing regarding the "Halloween Ends" release that is a cause for concern.
The box office results for the 13th "Halloween" installment may not have been what people expected. While some would blame the lackluster reviews, the cause of this ordeal could very well be Peacock-related.
Did Peacock slash Halloween Ends' box office returns?
According to a report from Deadline, "Halloween Ends," which was released the same day on Peacock, brought in $41.2 million at the box office when it was projected to take home an estimated $55 million. While this isn't a bad haul compared to past franchise iterations, the opening numbers are less than the two titles that came before it (Box Office Mojo). To be fair, "Halloween Ends" had a budget of $30 million, so its opening isn't a disaster, but there is some evidence that this could have been avoided.
The report from Deadline also states the film was the most watched title on the streamer over a period of two days, indicating a lot of potential ticket buyers stayed at home to watch instead of going to the cinemas. The practice of releasing a title on streaming the same day it's in theaters has drawn considerable backlash from filmmakers, including "Freaky" director Christopher Landon. "Freaky" was released on Peacock and in theaters simultaneously, only to make a dismal $3.6 million on its opening weekend (via Box Office Mojo). After seeing "Halloween Ends" take a similar hit, Landon took to Twitter to plea with studios to stop this practice, posting, "Stop doing this. Please. It doesn't work. Studios: stop gambling with filmmakers and their movies to try and prop up your fledgling streaming services."
Not even the resilient Michael Myers could avoid getting cut down by the unfortunate effects some titles experience when doing the streamer theater combo. There are victims of this formula out there that are hoping this haunting practice does not continue to terrorize any more of their releases.