Even thoughBlumhouseis arguably the most popular horror studio in the world, it is having a very disappointing year at the box office. So far this year, Blumhouse has released four movies in theaters, these beingWolf Man,The Woman in the Yard,Drop, andM3GAN 2.0.
WhileThe Woman in the YardandDropare two original stories,Wolf Manis based on a well-known monster and the recently releasedM3GAN 2.0is the sequel to a very popular horror movie from 2022. Therefore, both of these films potentially could have found an audience. Unfortunately,reviews forM3GAN 2.0have been underwhelming, and it also hasn’t performed well at the box office.
This puts Blumhouse’s disappointing year in the spotlight.M3GAN 2.0misses out on the best parts of the first movie, which is actually one ofBlumhouse’s best films. Halfway through the year, it’s clear the studio is struggling at the box office, solet’s examine why Blumhouse is in the middle of a streak of underperforming movies.
The Blumhouse Branding Is No Longer The Defining Feature Anymore
Audiences Won’t Just See A Movie Simply For The Brand
Since its inception,Blumhouse has released some amazing horror movies, such asInsidious,Get Out,The Invisible Man, and many more. Blumhouse is undoubtedly one of the top horror studios in the world, and many of its critically and commercially successful releases have helped it garner a fanbase over the years.
In the age of streaming, it’s hard to get people into theater seats since most movies come out on digital only a few weeks after their theatrical release.
However,the performances of the four Blumhouse movies that have been released this year prove that this fanbase isn’t as loyal as it once was. It should be noted that this is an issue for other studios too, not just Blumhouse. For example, as was seen by this year’sSnow Whitelive-action remake, even a major studio like Disney can’t always rely on its fanbase.
In the age of streaming, it’s hard to get people into theater seats since most movies come out on digital only a few weeks after their theatrical release. Therefore,based on the box office earnings for the four 2025 Blumhouse movies, it’s clear that the studio needs to do more to convince audiences to watch films in theaters.
Most Of Blumhouse’s 2025 Releases Didn’t Receive Positive Reviews
Except For One
Before people decide to watch a movie in theaters, they typically look at reviews. Therefore, it’s obviously a problem that three out of the four Blumhouse movies this year have received poor reviews. As seen in the table below, out of all the studio’s films in 2025,Dropis actually the only that has a “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
$34,151,868
48%
$23,311,502
40%
$28,613,803
84%
M3GAN 2.0
$20,577,565 (so far)
57%
Dropis actually a very original and entertaining horror/thriller movie, but the same can’t be said for Blumhouse’s other releases this year. WhileM3GAN 2.0might entertain some fans of the first movie, it is not nearly as fun. Additionally, its surprising genre shift from horror to science fiction surprised audiences. This was a bold move by Blumhouse, but it unfortunately doesn’t seem like it has paid off.
Meanwhile,Wolf ManandThe Woman in the Yard, which have the two lowest Rotten Tomatoes scores of the group, have both been called boring and underwhelming by horror fans. Therefore, it’s clear that Blumhouse needs to release higher-quality movies more consistently if it wants to perform better at the box office.
Jason Blum Has Recently Commented On The Studio’s Disappointing Box Office Year
The Studio Founder Acknowledges Some Of The Hiccups
Thankfully,Blumhouse founder Jason Blum has admitted that the studio has underperformed at the box office this year. AddressingM3GAN 2.0’sdisappointing box office haul, Blum admitted that he and other creatives at the studio thought the character would resonate with audiences no matter what direction they took the sequel’s story in. He said:
We all thought Megan was like Superman. We could do anything to her. We could change genres. We could put her in the summer. We could make her look different. We could turn her from a bad guy into a good guy. And we classically over-thought how powerful people’s engagement was with her.
Interestingly,Blum also revealed that he addressed Blumhouse employees to acknowledge that the studio is in a slump after the release ofM3GAN 2.0. He continued:
I said to [Blumhouse employees] this morning that if you look at any massive talent, whether they are a movie star or whether they are a production company or whether they are a studio, every one of your favorite people have gone through slumps. And that applies to Blumhouse, too.
Therefore, even though every Blumhouse movie to come out this year has performed poorly at the box office, it’s good to hear that Blum is addressing this problem.Blum acknowledging the studio’s mistakes suggests he will work hard to figure out a solution, which means Blumhouse could make a comeback in the very near future.
Blumhouse Only Has 2 Movies Left To Release In 2025
Could Either Or Both Close The Year With At Least A Hit?
Thankfully, Blumhouse is releasing two movies later this year that could both be major hits. Firstly, theupcomingBlack Phone 2will hit theaters on Jun 09, 2025.The sequel will see Ethan Hawke return as the Grabber four years after the first movie was a major critical and commercial success, making $161 million at the box office (viaBox Office Mojo).
Then, to close out the year, thehighly anticipatedFive Nights at Freddy’s 2will release on Aug 01, 2025. Despite many negative reviews,the firstFive Nights at Freddy’sfilm grossed $291 million at the worldwide box office, becoming the highest-grossing movie in Blumhouse’s history(viaBox Office Mojo).
Therefore, even though Blumhouse has struggled in the first half of the year,it’s a safe bet that bothBlack Phone 2andFive Nights at Freddy’s 2will help the studio make a major comeback. Because of these two major releases, I don’t think there’s any reason for anyone atBlumhouseto worry that much about the future of the studio.
