Receipts: ‘It Lives Inside’ and ‘Sleep’ Kick Off a Promising Horror Season Across the World
Domestic: The horror film It Lives Inside is making a killing at the box office. The new horror flick, directed by Bishal Dutta, has grossed $3.5 million domestically in its first week. The film follows Sam (Megan Suri), an outcast teenager who grapples with her Indian American identity in an American high school. While Sam’s mother Poorna (Neeru Bajwa) wants Sam to follow family and cultural traditions, her father Inesh (Vik Sahay) is more open to assimilation. When Sam starts making friends with her school’s white students, she grows apart from her best friend Tamira (Mohana Krishnan), who becomes an outcast herself. Soon, Tamira becomes possessed by a demonic spirit, and it’s up to Sam to save her. Audiences and critics alike laud the film’s incorporation of Indian demonic legends and a realistic portrayal of Sam’s struggle between identities, as well as its adept bone-chilling scares. With a 61% score on Rotten Tomatoes, It Lives Inside is an auspicious beginning to this year’s horror season.
The action-thriller Expend4bles (The Expendables 4) has not fared as well in theaters. Its $8.3 million debut fell short of expectations, and a 12% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes indicates audiences’ and critic’s disappointment. The fourth film in the Expendables franchise barely made half of its expected first-week gross of $15 million, making profitability for the estimated $100 million film a near impossibility. Audiences had been steadily declining since the second installment of The Expendables, but Expend4bles’ dismal showing may mark the end of the franchise. The film follows The Expendables as they journey to Libya to prevent mercenary Suarto Rahmat (Iko Uwais) and terrorist Ocelot (Andy García) from stealing nuclear weapons and inciting a conflict between Russia and the United States. Uwais as Suarto Rahmat, Tony Jaa as Decha, Levy Tran as Lash, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Easy Day, and García as Ocelot, are all new faces in the franchise, joining Expendables’ regulars Jason Statham and Sylvester Stallone reprising their roles.
International: Japan’s Don't Call It Mystery: The Movie remains on top in its second week of release. The film has grossed almost $14 million in Japan, where audiences favored it over the second-place John Wick: Chapter 4 and third-place Pretty Cure All Stars F. Despite debuting during a national holiday in Japan, the 2-hour Don’t Call it Mystery has captivated moviegoers. Starring Masaki Suda, Sairi Ito, Mugi Kadowaki, and Eita Magayama, the film follows college student Kuno Totono, a curly-haired extrovert who struggles socially, both with making friends and findinga girlfriend. When Totono visits the city of Hiroshima, he becomes embroiled in a mystery around the succession of the Kariatsumari estate. Based on the eponymous manga series, the film has captivated audiences with the protagonist’s signature curls and gripping storyline.
South Korean mystery drama Sleep continues to bring in impressive audiences in its third week, grossing $9.3 million in the country across 1,231 theaters. The film, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, follows a newlywed couple whose relationship turns rocky when the wife Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) becomes alarmed by her husband Hyun-su’s (Lee Sun-kyun) sleep habits. As his sleep-talking gives way to violent and troubling behavior, Hyun-su claims that something has possessed him. Soo-jin and her husband eventually escalate the matter to a local shaman. Sleep finally knocked Oppenheimer from its first-place spot in South Korea, and also fared better than Oscars contender Concrete Utopia, indicating a promising beginning to the horror season.
Streaming: Spy Kids: Armageddon has enjoyed its first week on Netflix’s Global Top 10, where it holds the second place spot with 11 million hours viewed. The 2023 adventure comedy is the fifth in the Spy Kids franchise, and follows the children of world-renowned secret agents as they accidentally aid a game developer in releasing a computer virus that allows him to control the world’s technology. The Spy Kids are tasked with saving not only their parents, but the world from the developer’s evil scheme. Spy Kids: Armageddon stars Gina Rodriguez as Nina Torrez, Everly Carganilla as Patricia "Patty" Torrez-Tango, Zachary Levi as Terrence Tango, and Connor Esterson as Antonio "Tony" Torrez-Tango. With a 60% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the family film is an easy watch with a generally positive audience consensus.
Nigerian crime thriller The Black Book has also found itself on the Top 10 for the first time, in 4th place with 11.6 hours viewed. The film follows a deacon who must fight a corrupt police force to seek justice after his son is framed for kidnapping and murder. The film, directed by Editi Effiong, stars Richard Mofe-Damijo as Paul Edima, Sam Dede as Angel, Shaffy Bello as Big Daddy, Femi Branch as General Issa in her youth, Alex Usifo as General Issa in the present day, Ade Laoye as Vic Kalu, and Ireti Doyle as the Commissioner.