Blumhouse's wolf man looks like a monster at the checkout

Leigh Kannell may not be a household name, but if you're a horror fan, he's undoubtedly touched your life in some way over the past 20 years. As the co-creator of the two long-time hits “Zāgis” franchise as well as “Insidious” he has definitely left his mark. That's not to mention his work as a director, which includes “Upgrade” and “The Invisible Man.” In other words, Wannell's work is worth paying attention to. For example, his new film “The Wolf Man” is attracting more than a few eyeballs and figures to become a Blumhouse and Universal hit when it hits theaters next weekend.

“The Wolf Man” is currently looking for an opening weekend of $20 million to $30 million Treasury theory. That would be a solid start, especially for a movie that was made on a $7 million production budget. Of course, this does not include marketing, but regardless, it is a remarkable success to begin with. It also doesn't hurt that the last big horror movie to hit theaters was “Nosferatu” on Christmas Day, which has been killing it so far. But by next week, audiences will be ready for something else.

One thing Whannell definitely has on his side is critical acclaim. While the full reviews for this movie haven't dropped, Early social media reactions to “The Wolf Man” have been overwhelmingly positive despite an early marketing snafu that offered a rather unflattering look at the titular creature's design in the film. Fortunately, based on the early word that the tragically bad Wolf Man from Halloween Horror Nights last year does not fully reflect the actual film.

The only downside really is that “The Wolf Man” will have competition. On January 24, Steven Soderbergh's acclaimed supernatural horror film “Presence” opens in theaters. Then Warner Bros. At the end of the month, the sci-fi horror movie “Companion” will arrive. The latter film also has a lot going for it, coming from producer Zach Kreger of “Barbarian” fame. However, these films play in a variety of sub-genres, so there could/should be room for everyone.

The Wolf Man centers on Blake (Christopher Abbott), a man who inherits his remote childhood home in Oregon after his father mysteriously disappears. Although his marriage to wife Charlotte (Julie Garner) is on the rocks, Blake convinces him to take a break from the city and visit the house with their new daughter, Ginger (Mathlida Firth). However, upon arriving at the house, they are attacked by an unseen animal and must barricade themselves inside the building while the creature hides. Then, as the night progresses, Blake begins to act strangely. The horror begins.

Whannell comes from the 2020s The Invisible Man, which was a big hit, landed him a first-look deal with Blumhouse. It was also a major winner, both critically and commercially, which is part of the reason the filmmaker put his stamp on the werewolf myth.

If word-of-mouth isn't disastrous, with an opening of this size, especially when factoring in overseas earnings, “The Wolf Man” could easily become a $100 million global grosser. It's slated to open in the same ballpark as “Longlegs” ($22.4 million / $126.9 million worldwide) and “Smile 2” ($23 million opening / $138 million worldwide) . It's good company to be in.

Assuming all goes well, Blumhaus will start 2025 on a much stronger note than 2024. This time last year, if you remember, the studio released Night Swim, a horror film that grossed just over $54 million worldwide. It was still a modest financial success, but not to the level that a studio often allows. It wasn't until “Speak No Evil” came out last September that Blumhouse also finally turned things around. In this case, 2025 is already a much better time for Blumhouse, horror and the box office in general.

“The Wolf Man” hits theaters on January 17, 2025.