With the Labour Day weekend now in the rear-view mirror of the car crash that is 2020, so, too, is the summer movie season (officially May 1 to September 5). And while the term “blockbuster” cannot be used to describe any of the movies released, the HORROR genre continued to have a strong presence at the box office, both domestically at the North American box office as well as overseas. Three of the summer’s Top 10 domestic performers were horror films, with a total of eight landing in the season’s Top 20, including the re-release of a decades old classic!
The following is my comprehensive listing of horror’s top performers at the summer box office (as well as IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes ratings for each). How many have you seen? Which was your favourite?
*Note: U.S. dollars for all films and listed in order of domestic ranking.
- THE NEW MUTANTS (#3 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $12.35 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #32
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $8.5 million
Total Worldwide Gross: $20.85 million
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #20
IMDB Rating: 5.6/10
RT Rating: 31%
RT Audience Score: 53%
- THE WRETCHED (#6 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: May 1, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $1.8 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #54
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $ 1.95million
Total Worldwide Gross: $3.75 million
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #45
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
RT Rating: 75%
RT Audience Score: 45%
- THE RENTAL (#8 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: July 24, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $1.6 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #58
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $1.1 million
Total Worldwide Gross: $2.7 million
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #51
IMDB Rating: 5.7/10
RT Rating: 75%
RT Audience Score: 47%
- RELIC (#11 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: July 3, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $1.05 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #63
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $230,000
Total Worldwide Gross: $1.28 million
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #63
IMDB Rating: 5.9/10
RT Rating: 91%
RT Audience Score: 48%
- BECKY (#12 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: June 5, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $1.003 million
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #64
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $18,000
Total Worldwide Gross: $1.02 million
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #69
IMDB Rating: 5.7/10
RT Rating: 70%
RT Audience Score: 59%
- JAWS (RE-RELEASE) (#16 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: June 19, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $758,300
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #74
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $758,300
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #75
IMDB Rating: 8/10
RT Rating: 98%
RT Audience Score: 90%
- PENINSULA (#17 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $728,390
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #75
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $32.3 million
Total Worldwide Gross: $33.05 million
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #14
IMDB Rating: 5.6/10
RT Rating: 51%
RT Audience Score: 74%
- FOLLOWED (#20 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: June 19, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $538,179
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #88
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $538,179
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #82
IMDB Rating: 4.3/10
RT Rating: 78%
RT Audience Score: 42%
- WE SUMMON THE DARKNESS (#45 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: May 22, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $60,794
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #167
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $60,794
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #117
IMDB Rating: 5.1/10
RT Rating: 69%
RT Audience Score: 29%
- SPUTNIK (#55 MOVIE OF THE SUMMER)
Release Date: August 14, 2020
Year-to-date North American Gross: $18,321
Year-to-date North American ranking among all films released in 2020: #219
Year-to-date Overseas Gross: $0
Total Worldwide Gross: $18,321
Year-to-date Worldwide ranking among all films released in 2020: #165
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
RT Rating: 88%
RT Audience Score: N.A.
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