The Stephen King Horror Movie Boogeyman Is Switching From Streaming To Theatrical – Here's Why That's A Big Deal
In a surprising yet encouraging move, Disney has opted to release "The Boogeyman," a movie adaptation of the Stephen King story of the same name, in theaters. Originally, the film had been set up on Hulu as a direct-to-streaming release, similar to what was done with "Prey" and "Hellraiser" last year. However, the studio has opted to pivot and will now release the film in theaters this summer.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the decision was made following a particularly positive test screening. King was also shown the movie and reportedly responded well to it. And so, it will now arrive in theaters right in the heart of the summer movie season on June 2 instead of dropping on Hulu. Rob Savage ("Host") directs the film, which is based on a short story from the "Night Shift" collection. The film was produced by Disney's 20th Century Studios and 21 Laps. A brief synopsis for the adaptation reads as follows:
"[The Boogeyman] centers on a 16-year old and her younger sister, both still reeling from the death of their mother, who are targeted by a supernatural boogeyman after their father, a psychologist, has an encounter with a desperate patient in their house."
20th Century Studios, following Disney's purchase of Fox in 2019, is now largely producing adult-focused movies for Hulu. However, with this move, it's clear that Disney will not be overly rigid with distribution plans if a better option presents itself. That is a truly encouraging thing to see, for various reasons.
An important, wise pivot
As I've discussed many times over this past year and change, horror is the only thing outside of superheroes that seems to guarantee any level of success at the box office in the post-pandemic landscape. Disney even experienced this with hits such as "Barbarian" ($45 million box office/$4 million budget) and "The Menu" ($78 million box office/$30 million budget) last year. Yet, at the same time, they sent a downright critical darling and crowd-pleaser such as "Prey" straight to Hulu in a move that may have cost them a lot of money in ticket sales.
Be that as it may, it's clear that the Mouse House, under re-appointed CEO Bob Iger, isn't content to make those same mistakes again. There is no reason this movie can't make money in theaters and then bring value to Hulu after the fact. I see this is a no-lose situation and, fortunately, Disney seems to as well.
The cast of the film includes Chris Messina ("The Mindy Project"), Sophie Thatcher ("Yellowjackets"), Vivien Lyra Blair ("Bird Box"), David Dastmalchian ("The Suicide Squad"), Marin Ireland ("The Empty Man"), and Madison Hu ("Voyagers"). Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, and Dan Cohen are on board as producers, with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, of "A Quiet Place Fame," executive producing alongside Emily Morris.
"The Boogeyman" hits theaters on June 2, 2023.