A new Indian title has become the firsthorror movieto chart at the domestic box office since Halloween. The months leading up to Halloween tend to be a prime release window for titles in the horror genre, as the anticipation of the holiday at the end of October results in increased interest in horror viewing that is reflected in both the box office and streaming charts. However, the weeks after Halloween, leading up to Thanksgiving, tend to be a more fallow period where few horror movies find success as the industry turns toward holiday and awards season releases.
The release pattern for2024 horror moviesshowcases this principle quite well.September through October saw the releases of many theatrical horror titles,includingTerrifier 3,Smile 2,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,Speak No Evil, andNever Let Go, as well as streaming movies such asApartment 7AandSalem’s Lot. However, while the independent studio A24 is putting out their horror-thrillerHereticon November 8, there are no major tentpole horror releases coming from Hollywood until the debut of Robert Eggers’Nosferatuon Christmas Day.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Has Become The Latest Horror Movie To Chart In The U.S.
It Succeeded In The Three Days After Halloween
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3has made a notable debuton the domestic box office chart. The2024 Bollywood movieis the second sequel to 2007’sBhool Bhulaiyaaand follows faux exorcist Rooh Baba (Kartik Aaryan) as he unravels a sinister conspiracy while working in a haunted castle. The cast of the Hindi-language horror-comedy movie, which was written by Aakash Kaushik and directed by Anees Bazmee, also includes Vidya Balan, Madhuri Dixit and Triptii Dimri.
The previous installment, 2022’sBhool Bhulaiyaa 2, also starred Kartik Aaryan and was a box office success, earning ₹266.88 crore (roughly $31 million) against its ₹70 crore budget (roughly $8 million).
PerDeadline, as of Saturday morning,Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3is projected to earn a three-day debut total of $2.1 million at the domestic box office. This is enough to allow the movie to land at No. 9 on the domestic chart for the weekend, making itthe first horror movie to chart in North America during the post-Halloween period. The other horror or horror-adjacent titles on the chart are the holdover titlesBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceat No. 8 in its ninth weekend,Terrifier 3at No. 7 in its fourth weekend, andSmile 2at No. 3 in its third weekend.
Our Take On The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Box Office
It Was Not Intended As A Halloween Release
While the majority of the Americanhorror movies of 2024have steered clear of the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving,Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3was timed to coincide with the celebration of the Hindu festival Diwali. This may be what has boosted its prospects in spite of the post-Halloween doldrums. However, it may prove that there is still a general hunger for horror moviesduring this period and encourage American studios to consider experimenting with putting out more November horror releases in the future.
