In the dead of winter month of February, 8 films of the horror/thriller genre made a dent in the North American box office; 4 continued their run from January, some more successfully than others, while 4 were new to movie-goers. So who were the winners and losers of February 2019? Keep reading to find out!
M. Night Shyamalan’s GLASS remained in the top spot for the second month in a row; not only for the horror/thriller genre itself, but for ALL films thus far released in 2019. On the worldwide stage, the thriller currently stands at #4 for the year.
February’s biggest new release was HAPPY DEATHDAY 2U, the follow-up to the surprise horror hit of 2017. And while the film’s box office performance is unlikely to surpass the original’s worldwide gross of $125 million, it’s already both a North American and overseas hit given its modest $9 million budget.
Action thriller MISS BALA and horror offering THE PRODIGY were the other two new wide releases of February and land at number three and four, respectively, for the month, with less than $1 million dividing the two films; however, THE PRODIGY is ultimately the winner and MISS BALA the loser when you compare each movie’s box office to its production budget.
Rounding out February’s Top 5 is the horror/thriller genre’s first release of 2019, ESCAPE ROOM, a film which has performed admirably at the North American box office, but even more so overseas; an impressive achievement for a movie with a budget of only $9 million, a cast of lesser-known-actors, and a flick that’s not a sequel.
Keep reading for a comprehensive box office summary of the Top 5 films, as well as the other three that didn’t make as much of an impression with audiences in February.
1/ GLASS
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: January 18, 2019
February Gross – North America: $29.45 million
Year-to-date North American Gross: $108.6 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #1
February Gross – Overseas: $43.5 million
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $132.9 million
Total Worldwide Gross: $241.5 million
Production Budget: $20 million
2/ HAPPY DEATH DAY 2U
Genre: Horror
Release Date: February 13, 2019
February Gross – North America: $22.8 million
Year-to-date North American Gross: $22.8 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #12
February Gross – Overseas: $20.8 million
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $20.8 million
Total Worldwide Gross: $43.6 million
Production Budget: $9 million
Rabbit In Red review here!
3/ MISS BALA
Genre: Action Thriller
Release Date: February 1, 2019
February Gross – North America: $14.8 million
Year-to-date North American Gross: $14.8 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #14
February Gross – Overseas: $114,703
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $114,703
Total Worldwide Gross: $14.9 million
Production Budget: $15 million
4/ THE PRODIGY
Genre: Horror
Release Date: February 8, 2019
February Gross – North America: $14 million
Year-to-date North American Gross: $14 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #15
February Gross – Overseas: $0
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $14 million
Production Budget: $6 million
5/ ESCAPE ROOM
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: January 4, 2019
February Gross – North America: $7.01 million
Year-to-date North American Gross: $56.2 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #6
February Gross – Overseas: $34.2 million
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $62.7 million
Total Worldwide Gross: $118.9 million
Production Budget: $9 million
6/ SERENITY
Genre: Thriller
Release Date: January 25, 2019
February Gross – North America: $2.7 million
Year-to-date North American Gross: $8.5 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #17
February Gross – Overseas: $0
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $8.5 million
Production Budget: N.A.
7/ BIRDS OF PASSAGE
Genre: Crime Thriller
Release Date: February 13, 2019
February Gross – North America: $101,185
Year-to-date North American Gross: $101,185
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #50
February Gross – Overseas: $0
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $101,185
Production Budget: N.A.
8/ REPLICAS
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller
Release Date: January 11, 2019
February Gross – North America: $41,657
Year-to-date North American Gross: $4.05 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2019: #21
February Gross – Overseas: $0
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $4.05 million
Production Budget: N.A.
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