The Neon seal of approval means something. The indie distributor has released the last four Palme d’Or winners (Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness, Anatomy of a Fall) with a fifth (Anora) on the way. But with the exception of Bong Joon-ho’s Best Picture-winning masterpiece and I, Tonya, Neon has never had a box office “hit.” That’s about to change.
Longlegs, the serial killer thriller starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage that is scaring the bejesus out of people, is breaking box office records for Neon. According to Deadline, the film made between $2.5-$3 million on Thursday night, which is “the best take ever in Thursday night previews for [Neon’s] movies” at the domestic box office, besting Sydney Sweeney’s Immaculate.
If Longlegs stays firm, it could bode for a $10 million-$15 million opening; some even buzzing it could best Apple Original Film/Sony’s Scarlett Johansson-Channing Tatum rom-com, Fly Me to the Moon, which was projected to do $12 million… Originally, Longlegs was projected to do in the high single digits.
If Longlegs does, indeed, earn $15 million this weekend, it would instantly be one of Neon’s highest-grossing movies ever (the fact that Portrait of a Lady on Fire didn’t make $1 billion is something we all have to live with). That’s the power of effective marketing and strong reviews — finally, a win for the sickos.
Longlegs is out in theaters now.
(Via Deadline)