UPDATE: Some good news for the folks over at Blumhouse, they have their first genuine hit of 2025. “Black Phone 2” grossed $10.6M on Friday, and that’s including Thursday previews, which means it’s going to outgross the original’s opening with a $26M+ weekend.
EARLIER: After a string of duds, Blumhouse may finally have a (small) win at the box office. Scott Derrickson’s modestly budgeted “Black Phone 2” ($30M) rang up $2.5M in Thursday previews across 3,000 theaters — just shy of the $3M earned by the 2021 original before its $23M opening weekend. The sequel will probably earn anywhere between $20-23M this weekend.
Early reviews have been decent (60 on Metacritic), but nothing to write home about, and it’s unlikely to be the breakout success the studio was hoping for. The first film turned into a surprise sleeper hit, earning $161M worldwide. I just can’t see the sequel making that kind of money.
Set four years after the events of the original, the sequel centers on Mason, the Grabber’s only known survivor, as his sister begins to experience eerie visions of the killer from beyond the grave. Returning cast members include Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, and Madeleine McGraw, joined by Demián Bichir, Miguel Mora, Jeremy Davies, and Arianna Rivas.