Blumhousehas, in the past, been one of the best-performing horror studios. Past hits includeJames Wan’s workon theInsidiousfilms, and the studio found more recent success withM3GANandFive Nights at Freddy’s.
Despite their great reputation, however,Blumhouse has been on a negative streak in 2025.All four of its releases this year have been incredibly underwhelming at the box office, despite the talent and potential behind them.
This bad track record began with the company’sadaptation ofWolf Man. It was directed by Leigh Whannell, who previously helped Blumhouse succeed with his interpretation ofThe Invisible Man. Still,Wolf Manonly made a disappointing $34.9 million.
Thenegative streak continued withThe Woman in the YardandDrop.Though the latter movie earned better reviews than the former, neither passed the $30 million mark. Then, despite positive early predictions, Blumhouse had another disappointment with their sequel filmM3GAN 2.0.
This trend leaves Blumhouse in desperate need of a fresh start. Luckily for the horror company, their 2025 year is not a wash, as they have another exciting title still to come this year.
Black Phone 2 Is A Good Bet To Snap Blumhouse’s Box Office Cold Streak
The First Film Made A Lot Of Money
Black Phone 2is set for release later this year. The film is a sequel to the 2022 Scott Derrickson horror movieThe Black Phone. It willcontinue Finn’s story after the traumatic events of the first movie.
ThefirstBlack Phonemoviedid quite well in theaters. It made $161.4 million worldwide, which is impressive for a Blumhouse film. This was an especially high totalgiven the film was made on a budget of roughly $18 million.
Black Phone 2is also being released in a prime time slot for horror movies.It is set for release on October 17, which runs enough before Halloween to get people to the theater, and still at a time when interest in horror movies is high.
This is compounded by the fact thatBlack Phone 2has significant names attached. Given his recent performance inHow to Train Your Dragon,star Mason Thames has grown in recognition since the first film.Ethan Hawke is also expected to return for the film, along with formerLostactorJeremy Davies.
As shown byM3GAN 2.0, Blumhouse cannot simply ride the success of a hit first film when approaching the sequel. That said,theBlack Phone 2trailer makes the movie look genuinely scary, increasing its potential to be an October hit. Combined with its impressive cast and crew,Black Phone 2has a good chance to turn around Blumhouse’s difficult year.
