How Universal Mined Sequels Can Help You Survive at the 2021 box Office

“Halloween Kills” was one of the better performing day-and-date releases in 2021, grossing $92 million in domestic theaters and standing third among all Universal new films — despite the streaming option. That’s likely because hardcore horror fans value seeing the genre in a theater, especially during the Halloween season.

The 2018 box office gross was $159 Million. “Halloween,”This drop can be attributed to weaker word of mouth, a busy October slate, and yes, streaming, which shaved theatrical turnout from casual viewers. Universal insiders claimed that they expected that the move would be successful. “Kills”For ticket sales, we would rely more on hardcore fans.

The animated portion of Universal’s slate also saw a split between day-and-date and theatrical only, and like Warner Bros., the experiment was a double-edged sword. DreamWorks Animation’s “The Boss Baby: Family Business,”Released in July, it was one of many family movies that weighed its options with parents who were uncomfortable taking their children to the theaters during a time when COVID-19 vaccinations weren’t yet available for minors.

The film performed poorly in theaters, even according to COVID standards. Domestic sales were $57.5million, or about a third of $175 million for the first. “Boss Baby” grossed in 2017 — and even less than the $70.5 million that Warner Bros.’ “Space Jam: A New Legacy,”Another day-and-date film for families, released in theaters the same month.

On the flip side, Universal scored the year’s best-performing animated release with Illumination’s “Sing 2,”It has gross domestic sales of $90 million so far, even though it was released in theaters during the Omicron surge. Universal has the option of releasing “Sing 2”Digital rental available as soon as the theatrical opening. This is per AMC’s 2020 agreement with Cinemark.

But depending on how this first weekend of January goes, it’s possible that Universal may not exercise that option. Despite the Omicron variation “Sing 2” is set to become the first animated film to cross the $100 million mark in the pandemic era, showing that while COVID-19 is still keeping many families away — the first “Sing” grossed $270 million domestically — there are signs they may show up again for theater-only films in greater numbers whenever the pandemic ends.

Of course, Universal’s biggest success came from its tried and true tentpole franchise, “Fast & Furious.”After being delayed for one year by the pandemic “F9” grossed $173 million domestic and $721 million worldwide, a result roughly on par with the franchise’s 2019 spinoff entry “Hobbs & Shaw.”This is a part of the reason we love it. “F9”Its success was possible because it was one the few Hollywood blockbusters to be released in China. It hit theaters there several weeks before the U.S. and grossed just below $217 million. This is the highest Hollywood release of any Hollywood movie last year.

Universal was also instrumental in the success and release of the 2021 Hollywood film. “F9”Over $700 Million in global sales: The James Bond thriller “No Time to Die.”MGM handled theatrical release in the United States. Universal distributed the sequel in all international territories. Universal also helped steer the film towards an overseas cume in excess of $613 million. This is the highest foreign cume for any Hollywood film up to the release of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Forecast for 2022

The three pillars of Universal’s pre-pandemic box office success — and the box office overall — will be present in 2022 with franchise tentpoles, low-budget horror and animated family films. “Jurassic World: Dominion” will be the blockbuster centerpiece, DreamWorks Animation and Illumination will each release a pair of films, and Blumhouse’s “Halloween Ends” will try to do better than its predecessor while Scott Derrickson’s “The Black Phone” (June 24) and Jordan Peele’s “Nope”On July 22, some original content will be presented to horror fans.

What’s interesting, though, is that Universal is also pushing forward with more mature offerings at a time when the struggles of the 2021 box office have cast doubt on whether asult audiences are still interested in going out to theaters to see such films. Universal will be releasing a new film this fall. “Ticket to Paradise,”Romantic comedy featuring Julia Roberts, George Clooney and more “She Said,”True-story drama about Harvey Weinstein’s fall from grace in the New York Times Investigation

“We are proud of how our franchises have done, but we know that to get the most out of the partnerships we have made with our production studios and the filmmakers that work with us, we have to keep original films as a key part of our theatrical slate,” Universal’s domestic distribution head Jim Orr told .

These films, depending on the severity of the pandemic could be used as a test case for long-term changes to what films audiences consider worth seeing in a theatre. After Twentieth Century’s “West Side Story” flopped at the box office, will Steven Spielberg’s followup “The Fabelmans” do any better when Universal releases it this Thanksgiving — or will older moviegoers just wait to stream it?

And speaking of streaming, it is still unclear how much of a factor day-and-date releases on Peacock will have on Universal’s slate. Peacock will be the first platform to show most of its films 45 days after theatrical release. However, Universal has removed theatrical exclusivity. “Marry Me,” a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez set for release in theaters and on Peacock on Valentine’s Day. Universal execs have kept mum on if or when other films might see a similar release shift; and while it’s unlikely that would happen to “Jurassic World,” it may happen with some of the smaller-budgeted films on the film’s slate depending on what lies ahead with COVID-19.

’s 2021 Studio Box Office Report Cards

Monday: How Warner Bros.’ HBO Max Experiment Led to Mixed Box Office Results
Tuesday:Universal Mined Sequels, Flexibility on Streaming and Survival at the 2021 Box Office
WednesdayParamount
Thursday: Sony Pictures
Friday: Disney