Stephen King’s books have been some of the most adapted in Hollywood history. The first major adaptation was Brian De Palma’sCarriein 1976, and it was quickly followed by a number of others after its critical and commercial success. 1980’sThe Shiningremains one of the most iconic King movies, and titles likeCujo(1983),Stand By Me(1986),The Running Man(1987),Misery(1990),The Shawshank Redemption(1994), andThe Green Mile(1999) are also among the best-known and most beloved in the long list of adaptations.
Although it’s now been almost 50 years sinceCarriehit theaters,new adaptations of King’s novels and short stories are released at a regular cadence. The last few years saw the release of titles likeDoctor Sleep(2019),The Boogeyman(2023), andSalem’s Lot(2024), andThe Life of Chuckis set to releaselater this year. In February, another King adaptation hit theaters, and it has not only earned positive reviews, it has also been a strong performer at the box office.
The Monkey Crosses Another Major Box Office Milestone
The King Adaptation Continues To Chug Along In Theaters
The Monkeyhas just passed an impressive new box office milestone after more than a month in theaters. Directed by Osgood Perkins, who found success with horror hitLonglegslast year, the horror comedy stars Theo James as Hal and Bill, twin brothers who reconnect decades after discovering a toy monkey in their attic that begins to cause people around them to die in horrible ways.The Monkeyreviewshave been generally positive from critics, and the film opened to $14 million in theaters after its release on February 21.
Every Stephen King Movie Ranked, From Worst To Best
Stephen King is one of the most adapted authors of all time, and the bestselling horror writer has over 50 movies released to his name.
The Numbersnow reveals thatThe Monkeyhas grossed a total of $60.1 million worldwide. This total comprises $37.9 million in North America and $22.1 million internationally. This latest milestone comes as the film, which is now down to 1452 theaters, remains without a PVOD release date.The Monkeygrossed $1.5 million domestically this past weekend, a 39% drop from the weekend of March 14, which speaks to its strong legs.
The Monkeyis the third highest-grossing Neon release ever, behindLonglegs($126.9 million) andParasite($253.8 million).
What The Monkey’s Latest Box Office Milestone Means For The Movie
Osgood Perkins Has Another Hit On His Hands
Now more than a month into its theatrical run,The Monkeywill likely be arriving on VOD at some point over the next few weeks. For now, though, it evidently continues to be an audience draw in theaters. Made on an estimated budget of $11 million, the film may have been looking at a break-even point of $22 million, a goal it has clearly exceeded. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film enjoys a respectable 79% critics' score, but the Popcornmeter score is lower at 57%. Despite this, positive word-of-mouth is likely still a partial driver in the film’s continued performance.
For Perkins and Neon,The Monkeymarks their second horror hit in a row after thesuccess ofLonglegs, which succeeded due to its remarkably effective viral marketing campaign built around Nicolas Cage’s scene-stealing lead performance. The King adaptation’s success bodes well for Osgood’s next movie,Keeper, which is set to arrive later this year.
