TV NEWS
Renfield Bombed At The Box Office (And Here's Why)
By AAHIL DAYANI
Universal’s shift to riskier, genre-focused approaches for Classic Monsters worked with “The Invisible Man,” but the star-studded “Renfield” failed to replicate its success.
Critics praised Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult’s performances in “Renfield” but criticized the film’s execution and subplot, as it leaned more toward comedy than horror.
The film’s $65 million budget, possibly due to its lead stars’ salaries, may have contributed to its box office falter, highlighting the need for smarter budgeting for genre films.
Competing releases, such as “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and even “The Pope’s Exorcist,” also overshadowed “Renfield” and pulled in larger audiences.
A better approach may have been to home in on Renfield and Dracula’s relationship or to make a modern Dracula film, utilizing the lead stars' talent and Dracula's horrific world.
Cage’s diminishing star power is evident given that “Renfield” underperformed and followed the same trend of his previous film “Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.”