Longlegs Is Horror's Biggest Box Office Surprise Of The Year

It may be less than two weeks into its theatrical run, but it's fair to say that "Longlegs" is, without a doubt, the horror surprise of the year. The latest from director Oz Perkins was released by NEON in theaters on July 12 and, with two weekends under its belt at the box office, this buzzy genre flick only becomes more impressive by the moment. To that end, despite facing down heavy competition from "Twisters," which opened to $80.5 million, as well as holdovers like "Despicable Me 4" and "Inside Out 2," Perkins' twisted serial killer tale more than held its own on its second weekend.

"Longlegs" pulled in $11.7 million in its second frame, landing at number four on the charts. More importantly, this represents a mere 48% drop compared to the film's downright shocking opening weekend north of $22 million, which was, without exaggeration, one of the most impressive openings in recent memory. Given that NEON's very dark, R-rated crime thriller overperformed so mightily in its debut, a significant drop in its second weekend was highly likely. To be clear, that wouldn't have been all that bad, considering that $11.7 million would have been an impressive number for this film to open to. Yet, here we are, with an original, non-franchise horror title generating meaningful buzz and holding firm against more surefire Hollywood blockbusters. Its running domestic total now stands at $44.6 million. It will soon pass "Parasite" ($53.4 million) to become NEON's biggest movie ever. 

Starring Maika Monroe and Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage, the film centers on an FBI agent who uncovers a series of disturbing clues while pursuing a serial killer in an attempt to put a stop to a grizzly, years-long string of unsolved murders. NEON never fully revealed Cage's wild look as Longlegs in the marketing and, while risky, that sheer curiosity angle has paid off handsomely. Less is more doesn't always pan out but, in this case, it's working beyond anyone's wildest expectations.

NEON is only handling domestic distribution and the international numbers for this one are only starting to trickle in so, for the time being, we're going to focus on the U.S. That said, the way things are going, "Longlegs" is currently looking at finishing its domestic run with $70 million or more, give or take. Even if it somehow collapses in the next week, it will easily clear $60 million in an absolute worst-case scenario. That said, the film's C+ CinemaScore, which indicates mixed word of mouth, didn't seem to scare anyone off. If anything, it provided a sense of "you need to see this to believe it and decide for yourself." No marketing budget can buy that, it must be earned.

Be that as it may, NEON launched one of the most impressive marketing campaigns in recent memory for "Longlegs," which will probably be studied for years to come. For a movie with a budget of less than $10 million and a relatively modest marketing spend, the results are staggering. Just to illustrate how impressive it all is, this movie should easily wind up in the top 20 domestically for the 2024. It has already made more money than the likes of "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1" ($28.5 million), "The Strangers: Chapter 1" ($35.2 million), and "Madame Web" ($43.8 million).

Looking ahead, it will probably pass the totals of "Challengers" ($50.1 million), "The Beekeeper" ($66.2 million), "Furiosa" ($67.4 million), "Civil War" ($68.6 million), and "Mean Girls" ($72.4 million). If anyone claims to have predicted such an outcome heading into the summer, I would kindly point you to someone who is either a liar or possesses the superheroic ability to predict the future. It's more than a little surprising but, after a rough start to the year at the box office, particularly for horror, it's a very welcome one.

"Longlegs" is currently playing in theaters.