The demons are back - and moviegoers are already opening their wallets.
Sony's Insidious: Out of the Further pulled in an estimated $3 million from Thursday preview screenings, giving the sixth installment in the long-running horror franchise a solid start ahead of its first full weekend in theaters. The movie is currently expected to open somewhere between $23 million and $27 million domestically.
That probably will not be enough to knock Spider-Man: Brand New Day from the top spot. The superhero blockbuster is projected to earn another $35 million to $40 million in its fourth weekend, meaning Sony could end up holding both the No. 1 and No. 2 positions at the box office.
For Insidious, however, second place could still be very good business.
Out of the Further reportedly cost just $18 million to produce, making its comparatively modest opening much less frightening for the studio than it might appear. Its predecessor, 2023's Insidious: The Red Door, opened considerably bigger with $33 million, but the franchise has built its reputation on turning relatively inexpensive supernatural scares into substantial profits. The series has now generated more than $740 million worldwide.
And this time, Insidious is changing the rules of its own nightmare.
Rather than simply following another trip into the mysterious supernatural dimension known as The Further, the new film centers on Gemma, played by Amelia Eve, a young mother who discovers that she can enter the realm of lost souls - and, even more dangerously, bring its inhabitants back with her.
According to Sony, once the creatures lurking in The Further discover Gemma's unusual ability, the barrier between their world and ours begins collapsing. Franchise favorite Lin Shaye also returns as Elise Rainier, while Jacob Chase directs from a screenplay he wrote, based on a story by Chase and David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Jason Blum, James Wan, Oren Peli and Leigh Whannell are among the producers.
The new cast also includes Brandon Perea and Maisie Richardson-Sellers, with Box Office Mojo listing the movie as a wide release running approximately 1 hour and 46 minutes.
There is plenty of competition lurking outside The Further this weekend. Jason Statham's new action thriller Mutiny is targeting roughly $8 million to $10 million, while comedy Spa Weekend is projected for only around $3 million to $5 million. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey continues its extraordinary run after reportedly reaching $1.35 billion worldwide.
Still, Insidious may not need to conquer the box office to score another franchise victory. With an $18 million production budget and $3 million already collected before Friday properly began, Sony and Blumhouse could have another low-cost horror moneymaker on their hands.
The real question now isn't whether audiences are willing to return to The Further.
It's how much money they'll leave behind once they get there.
