Having alreadypassed the$150 million mark at the 2024 Box Office, horror royaltyBlumhouse Productionscan safely call this year a success, even if their latest outingHouse of Spoilslooks like aless-than-impressive final showing for 2024. However, despite their financial triumph, the critical reaction to many of this year’s projects has fallen flat, withNight Swimin particular missing the mark with critics. Despite this,the film drew a global total of $54 million and exceeded expectationsat a time of the year when horror usually struggles to succeed.
For quite some time,Night Swimwas the production company’s biggest financial hit of the year. However, after several weeks in theaters and despitenow being available on VOD,James Watkins’Speak No Evilhas finally surpassedNight Swimat the global Box Office by $4 million, officially becoming Blumhouse’sbiggest worldwide hit in 2024.Speak No Evilstill hangs on in the daily rankings, with the horror reimagining coming fourth on Wednesday, October 2,even outperforming the more recently releasedMegalopolis.
‘Speak No Evil’s Success is Founded on Superior Quality
Blumhouse Productions are never too shy to release a smorgasbord of options for horror fans each year, with some suggesting the company favors quantity over quality. It’s assuring then to learn that the year’s biggest Blumhouse hit worldwide is also one of their better outings, especially when compared toNight Swim. Collider’sEmma Kielyreviewed both,offeringSpeak No Evila 5/10 compared toNight Swim’s 3/10.Sure, both numbers aren’t close to being considered impressive, but the difference is stark enough to be glad that the higher of the two is now the production company’s biggest success in 2024.
When reviewingSpeak No Evil, Kiely was certainly less-than-impressed, saying, “All in all, it’s not that much of a surprise that a Danish-Dutch original story that is free of the confines of the Hollywood system is exponentially better than a hastily made Blumhouse production. If you want to give the 2024 film as fair a shot as possible, go in without seeing the original.” and then adding, “Blumhouse’s attempt watches like a sterile and hollow rehashing of the outline of a story that’s already been done perfectly.” However, when compared toher review ofNight Swim, this reads as glowing. Steadfast in her critique, Kiely said:
“Night Swimis a missed opportunity of epic proportions, and it’s yet another in a streak ofBlumhouse projects failing to bring anything new to the horror genre. Formulaic, lacking in scares, but accessible to as wide an audience as possible with a PG-13 rating; this is the horror house’s new MO, and unfortunately, it’s working moneywise.Five Nights at Freddy’sis a stark reminder thataudiences and box office don’t always agree. This will probably be the same forNight Swim,a film that could have gone to new depths and explored a universal irrational fear with nuance but instead decided to stay in the safety of the kiddie pool.”
Speak No Evilis now Blumhouse Productions’ biggest success at the 2024 global Box Office. You can purchase the film on Prime Video right now.
Speak No Evil
Speak No Evil follows an American family who accepts an invitation to spend the weekend at a British family’s country estate. What starts as a delightful holiday quickly turns into a psychological nightmare as tensions and sinister intentions come to light.
Purchase on Prime
