Can The Bride Keep Warner Bros.' Box Office Horror Hot Streak Alive?

Warner Bros. had one of the all-time great box office hot streaks in 2025, setting a huge record with six movies opening to at least $40 million. Much of that was owed to horror hits such as "Sinners" and "Weapons," which were original, filmmaker-driven success stories. WB is already off to a good start with "Wuthering Heights." With "The Bride!," the studio has taken yet another big gamble on a prestigious genre picture. The question is, can this keep WB's horror hot streak alive?

Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal ("The Lost Daughter"), "The Bride!" is currently eyeing an opening in the $15 to $22 million range domestically when it arrives next weekend, per Box Office Theory. That's on the low side for a movie with a reported $80 million budget, to be certain. It doesn't help that Pixar's new original animated feature "Hoppers" is also opening that weekend, with an opening in the $22 to $31 million range in the cards. That's also on the low side for Pixar, for what it's worth.

One of /Films most anticipated movies of 2026, Gyllenhaal's latest is a radical new take on "The Bride of Frankenstein." It takes place in the 1930s and centers on a lonely Frankenstein's creation (Christian Bale) who travels to Chicago to ask scientist Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening) to craft him a companion. The two revive a murdered young woman, giving birth to the titular Bride (Jessie Buckley). These outlaw lovers then set out on a dangerous and wild journey.

The cast also includes Jake Gyllenhaal ("Road House"), Penélope Cruz ("Ferrari"), and Peter Sarsgaard ("The Batman"). Maggie Gyllenhaal wrote the script in addition to directing. Also of note, this one will be getting an IMAX release, which means a premium format ticket price boost.

"The Bride!" faces an uphill battle based on these early estimates. With an $80 million budget, Warner Bros. needs it to make at least $200 million worldwide to be considered a success. It's not impossible with an over/under $20 million domestic opening, but the movie needs to demonstrate legs and have strong overseas appeal.

Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" made $369 million worldwide from a $48 million domestic opening against a $90 million budget last year. Maggie Gyllenhaal's movie certainly doesn't have to match that, but that would be a best-case comparison. More realistically, we could look at "One Battle After Another," which opened to $22 million and went on to $208 million worldwide. "One Battle After Another" was still a box office bomb, but that was because of its massive budget in the $140 million range.

There's a path to success here, but we can also look at "Black Phone 2" ($27 million opening/$132 million worldwide) as a potential comp. That movie was far cheaper to produce. On an $80 million budget, such a result would be rough.

Another issue is that "Scream 7" may well set a record for the slasher series at the box office when it opens this weekend. Horror fans will have options, with "Send Help" also still in theaters. Fortunately, "Psycho Killer" bombed last weekend, meaning it won't be much of a threat, but this won't be the only horror game in town. Especially with "Ready or Not 2: Here I Come" just around the corner.

Warner Bros. has won by betting big on visionary filmmakers as of late. If any studio can defy the odds and make this work, it's WB.

"The Bride!" hits theaters on March 6, 2026.