The summer movie season is officially upon us. Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” ushered in the summer box office with a big-but-not-huge debut. Unfortunately, Hollywood left the second weekend of May largely devoid of big new releases. Mercifully, we won’t have to wait long for the next blockbuster to arrive as Warner Bros. has “Final Destination Bloodlines” coming our way next weekend. The good news is that it looks to be another hit for the horror genre and WB. The even better news? People might be underestimating just how big this movie could be.
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Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein, “Bloodlines” is currently looking at a debut in the $28 to $35 million range at the domestic box office, per Box Office Theory. That would be killer, as it would put it on track to have the biggest opening in the history of the “Final Destination” franchise. Currently, 2009’s “The Final Destination,” which opened to $27.4 million en route to a $187.3 million global finish, holds the record.
What’s especially interesting about that movie is it’s largely regarded as the worst entry in the “Final Destination” series overall. That might also explain why 2011’s “Final Destination 5,” oft-regarded as one of the best, took in less with an $18 million opening and a $155 million global finish. Still, those are strong numbers for a sequel to a poorly regarded fourth entry in a franchise. Overall, across five movies, the series has brought in more than $650 million worldwide against combined budgets totaling just over $150 million. Those are great returns, making it quite the surprise that it took this long for a big screen revival to happen.
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“Bloodlines” centers on a college student named Stefani who is plagued by a recurring nightmare and heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from a grim fate. The cast includes Kaitlyn Santa Juana (“The Flash”), Teo Briones (“Chucky”), Richard Harmon (“The 100”), Anna Lore (“Gotham Knights”), Brec Bassinger (“Stargirl”), and the late, great Tony Todd in one of his final on-screen roles.
Final Destination Bloodlines could benefit from generational nostalgia
The numbers look good as-is but based on some circumstantial evidence and a little bit of box office history, this has the makings of a possible overperformer. For one, the trailer for “Final Destination Bloodlines” was the second-most-watched horror trailer of all time in its first 24 hours, per Deadline. The only movie it failed to eclipse? 2017’s “It,” which ranks as the highest-grossing horror movie in history.
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Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, “It” blew post projections en route to a $123 million opening and a $700 million global finish. I’m not suggesting “Bloodlines” is going to open to nine figures, I’m merely saying that those trailer views shouldn’t be discounted, particularly if critical buzz is on the movie’s side. It’s also worth pointing out that WB’s “Sinners” has overper-performed against expectations already this year. Horror is hot.
This movie has all of the hallmarks of a possible breakout hit fueled by generational nostalgia. It’s been 14 years since a “Final Destination” movie hit theaters. Coincidentally, there was a 14-year gap between “Jurassic Park III” and “Jurassic World,” which became a $1.6 billion box office sensation driven by multi-generational nostalgia. The pent-up demand and multiple generations of fans eager to see this franchise return feels similar. Tracking may well be underestimating this movie’s chances at delivering bigger-than-expected numbers.
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Not for nothing, but the “Final Destination” movies were recently dominating the Max viewership charts, indicating an enduring, strong interest in the franchise. And last, but certainly not least, Jon Watts, who directed Tom Holland’s “Spider-Man” trilogy, cooked up the story for this movie and is on board as a producer. He’s got a magic touch. If some of that magic rubbed off on this one, good things could happen.
“Final Destination Bloodlines” hits theaters on May 16, 2025.
