It opens in the US this Friday and October 10th in the UK, and analysts are estimating that Annabelle, the spin-off from last year’s The Conjuring, is set to become the biggest horror movie of 2014.
It’s not been a good year from the genre, with all of the releases taking under $20 million in their opening weekend and no more than $32 million overall domestically. Last year saw horror perform really well with films like Insidious: Chapter 2 ($40 million), Mama (£28 million), Evil Dead ($27 million) and Texas Chainsaw 3D ($21 million), all topping the US box office in their opening weekends.
That all looks to change though with experts claiming that Annabelle is set to take roughly $25 million.
Here’s the other big releases of the year:
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones ($18 million opening, $32 million overall)
Devil’s Due ($8 million opening, $16 million overall)
Oculus ($12 million opening, $28 million overall)
The Quiet Ones ($4 million opening, $9 million overall)
Deliver Us From Evil ($10 million opening, $31 million overall)
Of course, it should be noted that horror movies are made for pretty cheap. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones may have had the lowest opening of the series with $18 million, but it only cost $7 million to make.
John Form has found the perfect gift for his expectant wife, Mia—a beautiful, rare vintage doll in a pure white wedding dress. But Mia’s delight with Annabelle doesn’t last long.
On one horrific night, their home is invaded by members of a satanic cult, who violently attack the couple. Spilled blood and terror are not all they leave behind. The cultists have conjured an entity so malevolent that nothing they did will compare to the sinister conduit to the damned that is now…Annabelle.
Annabelle is directed by John R. Leonetti (The Butterfly Effect 2) and stars Annabelle Wallis (Fleming), Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), Brian Howe (The Pursuit of Happyness), Eric Ladlin (Boardwalk Empire) and Ward Horton (The Wolf of Wall Street). The movie opens in the UK on October 10th.
Originally published September 30, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
