Can Companion Become Horror's First Big Box Office Hit in 2025?

2025 is off to a slow start at the box office, but that's true of most years. January is not exactly a tent month; in fact, it's usually a window where studios can dump movies they have less faith in. of course we get the occasional breakout like Liam Neeson's 'Taken' but they are the exception rather than the rule. As January turns into February, we should be looking for greener pastures. Leading the charge will be the new sci-fi horror film Companion, which looks set to end this year's crop of January releases on a high note.

Coming from Warner Bros., first-time director Drew Hancock's “Companion” is currently looking for an opening of $10 million to $15 million when it opens next weekend. Treasury theory. WB was frugal with this one at just $10 million. Even with significant marketing spend, the launch of this range will ensure Companion's success out of the gate. The only major problem is that the horror audience will have a lot of competition: Steven Soderbergh's “Presence” is only a week after its release; slasher “Heart Eyes” arrives next weekend; and “The Monkey” will also be just around the corner.

Working for this film will be a positive buzz. /Movies by Chris Evangelista called Companion “the first great movie of 2025” in its review, 9 out of 10.. He's not alone, as it currently has an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If audiences go along with it, it should help the film go beyond its opening weekend, which will help a lot in the face of stiff competition in the genre.

An opening in that $10-15 million range will put “Companion” on par with last year's “Speak No Evil” remake ($11.4 million/$76.7 million worldwide). If things go really well, we could be looking at something closer to “Longlegs” ($22.4 million / $126.9 million worldwide). Even at the low end, we're definitely looking for a hit.

While the studio is smartly keeping plot details under wraps to maintain a sense of mystery, “Companion” is being billed as “a new kind of love story.” Broadly speaking, it focuses on a highly advanced female robot that causes havoc. Starring Jack Quaid (“The Boys”) and Sophie Thatcher (“Yellowjackets”).

Another thing that WB is going for is that this movie comes from the producers of Barbarian and specifically the director of that movie, Zach Kreger. WB and New Line quickly got into bed with Krueger after his 2022 horror film became a surprise hit. signing an agreement with the filmmaker, as well as acquiring the rights to his new film “Guns”. Sensibly, they're using a similar playbook to this one as they used in Barbarian, leaning towards the mystery of it all.

While horror has been a very reliable genre in the pandemic era, things have been a bit hit/miss lately. Blumhouse's 'The Wolf Man' recently disappointed with an opening under $11 million despite projections suggesting it would open closer to $20 million. In that case, reviews and word of mouth were hard to overcome. These things happen. Fortunately, given the information we have, it looks like Hancock's debut will avoid that outcome.

The movie “Companion” will hit theaters on January 31, 2025.