Insidious: The Red Door Is Now The Biggest Horror Movie Of 2023 At The Box Office
"Insidious: The Red Door" may already be on VOD but the movie is continuing its incredible hot streak a the box office. The fifth entry in the series had already managed to secure its place as the highest-grossing entry in this particular franchise but now, it stands alone as the biggest horror movie of 2023 overall. Despite its digital release, the film had another solid weekend and gets to claim this coveted title — at least for now.
Thanks to another $1 million weekend at the domestic box office, "The Red Door" has now earned $182.4 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo. That means it now takes the crown as the highest-grossing horror movie of the year. The title previously belonged to "M3GAN," which earned $179.9 million earlier this year as one of 2023's first legitimate blockbuster hits. The difference is that "M3GAN" was an original movie that managed to break through the noise, whereas "Insidious" is an established name. Be that as it may, Patrick Wilson's feature directorial debut has done incredibly well and Sony Pictures is surely very happy.
Interestingly, the common thread here is James Wan. The filmmaker produced both films and, as is pretty much always the case with anything he touches, they turned to gold. Wan has cemented himself as one of this generation's most reliable hit-makers — and it's not just horror! Let us not forget that he directed "Aquaman" ($1.1 billion), which is the highest-grossing DC movie ever, as well as "Furious 7" ($1.5 billion), which is the 11th biggest movie ever. With "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" due out in December, it's shaping up to be a huge year for him.
Horror remains (nearly) undefeated
For this particular franchise, it's something of a victory lap. "The Red Door" brought back Wilson, as well as Ty Simpkins and Rose Byrne, to help wrap up the Lamberts' story that began in "Insidious" and "Insidious: Chapter 2" in 2011 and 2013, respectively. That decade and change, it seems, was just enough to bring some nostalgia around to help bring the latest entry to new heights. To date, the five films have earned $737.4 million worldwide against combined budgets of just $42.5 million.
Sony is the owner of what is likely one of the most profitable franchises in history. Heck, this latest movie cost just $16 million, and that looks downright expensive compared to Wan's original, which was made for a remarkably thrifty $1.5 million, before going on a tear and taking in $99 million at the box office.
Meanwhile, horror remains winning overall as the most reliable genre in the game over the past two years. This year we've also seen "Scream VI" ($168.9 million), "Evil Dead Rise" ($146.7 million), "Cocaine Bear" ($87.6 million), and "The Pope's Exorcist" ($76.1 million) rake in great money relative to their budgets. A24's "Talk to Me" is also off to an excellent start through its first couple of weekends. There have only been a couple of misfires, most notably "Renfield," which suffered as a result of its $65 million budget. But when studios keep things reasonable, good things are happening in horror right now.
"Insidious: The Red Door" is in theaters and on Digital now.