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

2025 is off to a slow start at the box office, but that's true of most years. January isn't exactly a marquee month; in fact, it's usually a window for studios to dump movies that they have less faith in. Sure, we get the occasional breakout hit like Liam Neeson's "Taken," but those are more of an exception rather than the rule. As January gives way to February, though, we should be looking at greener pastures. Leading the way will be the new sci-fi horror flick "Companion," which looks to close out this year's crop of January releases on a high note.

Hailing from Warner Bros., first time feature director Drew Hancock's "Companion" is currently looking at an opening in the $10 to $15 million range when it arrives next weekend, per Box Office Theory. WB was thrifty with this one, which carries a mere $10 million price tag. Even with a sizable marketing spend, an opening in that range will set "Companion" up for success out of the gate. The only major issue is that there will be ample competition for the horror crowd: Steven Soderbergh's "Presence" will only be a week into its run; slasher "Heart Eyes" arrives the following weekend; and "The Monkey" will be just around the corner as well.

Working in this movie's favor will be positive buzz. /Film's Chris Evangelista called "Companion" the "first great movie of 2025" in his 9 out of 10 review. He's not alone, as it currently holds an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If audiences agree, that should help give the film legs beyond opening weekend, which will help a lot in the face of stiff competition within the genre.

An opening in that $10 to $15 million range would put "Companion" in the same ballpark as last year's remake of "Speak No Evil" ($11.4 million opening/$76.7 million worldwide). If things go really well, we could be looking at something closer to "Longlegs" ($22.4 million opening/$126.9 million worldwide). Even on the low end, we're looking at a hit for sure.

While the studio is wisely 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 woman robot that causes havoc. Jack Quaid ("The Boys") and Sophie Thatcher ("Yellowjackets") lead the cast.

Another thing WB is leaning into is that this one hails from the producers of "Barbarian," and specifically from that film's director Zach Cregger. WB and New Line were quick to get into bed with Cregger after his 2022 horror flick became an unexpected hit, signing a deal with the filmmaker as well as nabbing the rights to his new movie "Weapons." Wisely, they are using a similar playbook for this one as they did for "Barbarian," leaning into the mystery of it all.

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

"Companion" hits theaters on January 31, 2025.