Monday Morning Quarterback Part I
By BOP Staff
March 3, 2015
Matthew Huntley: I would deem this movie's double-digit opening as very solid, but that's only when I take into account its unusually small budget and relatively low-profile marketing campaign. It does suggest, once again, there will always be an audience for these types of small-time horror movies and, strictly speaking as a fan of the cast, I'm glad it did as well as it did, even though I've yet to see it. I guess I just like to see the industry be more successful than not and to have more (rather than less) breadth in terms of variety. It's not likely The Lazarus Effect will garner much more than $25-$30 million overall, but then again, it doesn't really need to in order to be a success.
Felix Quinonez: It's pretty good. It might sound like a low number but given its budget, everyone involved should be pleased. It's yet another low risk project that will make money and assure that many more movies like it will continue coming.
Ryan Kyle: It looks like the ceiling is getting lower and lower on Blumhouse's opening weekends. What used to consistently hit $20 million has quickly eroded to the low-teens. Still, there's no reason to sweat given the profit margins on a $3 million investment netting $10.2M its opening weekend (the 2,666 theater count is a cute touch to the horror element that seemed missing in the trailers). Even if it drops like a rock (it will), it's a safe bet to expect The Lazarus Effect 2 debuting on the SyFy channel next Halloween.
Edwin Davies: It's pretty good in terms of the budget and the relatively low profile, but indicative of how much the PG-13 horror, which was pretty dominant as a genre only a few years ago, has fallen out of favor with audiences. Still, for a film with a premise that isn't really that interesting (It's Flatliners, but now!) to open to more than $10 million is a sign that the audience is still there, it's just shrunk quite a lot.
David Mumpower: All this total does is reconfirm that low budget horror remains the safest play in the industry. The Lazarus Effect is a garbage film with an underwhelming take on Pet Sematary for humans. The fact that it is already in the black speaks more about the genius of frugal productions than it does about the film itself.
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