The newest Stephen King horror movie has broken a record at the box office. King is a prolific author who is best known for his works in the horror genre, though he has also dabbled in sci-fi, fantasy, and more. Since the release of his debut novel, Carrie, in 1974, he has published more than 60 books in addition to his 5 nonfiction works, roughly 200 short stories, and various screenplays, columns, collections, and beyond. Over the years, many film adaptations of his works have been critical successes, including 1990's Misery, which won Kathy Bates an Oscar for Best Actress.
Additionally, many of these adaptations have been commercially successful. By far the highest-grossing installment was 2017's It, as the movie - which follows an evil shapeshifting entity known that frequently takes the form of Pennywise the Clown tormenting the town of Derry in the 1980s - grossed $704.2 million against its roughly $40 million budget. Five other King adaptations have grossed more than $100 million worldwide, namely It: Chapter Two ($467.6 million), The Green Mile ($290.7 million), 1408 ($131.3 million), The Dark Tower ($113.5 million), and 2019's Pet Sematary ($111.8 million), with all of his adaptations collectively earning more than $2.9 billion.
The Monkey Has Climbed The Charts
The Stephen King Adaptation Was Directed By Osgood Perkins
Osgood Perkins' big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's The Monkey sparks a strong box-office start for the horror genre in 2025. The 2025 horror movie tells the story of twins haunted by a sinister toy monkey that brings gruesome deaths to those who come across it. A critical and financial hit, The Monkey stars Theo James as twins Hal and Bill, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Tatiana Maslany, Christian Concert, Colin O'Brien, Adam Scott, and Elijah Wood.
Osgood Perkins previously directed 2024's Longlegs, a smash hit serial killer thriller starring Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage that grossed $126.9 million against a budget of less than $10 million.
According to Box Office Mojo, The Monkey has earned over $38 million from the worldwide box office, placing it as the seventh highest-earning production of the year overall. The title is the highest-grossing horror movie of the year so far. This places The Monkey ahead of Companion's $34.9 million gross, Wolf Man, which each made an estimated $34 million, as well as Heart Eyes' gross of roughly $31 million.
What The Monkey's Box-Office Success Means For The 2025 Horror Slate
All Of 2025's Currently Released Horrors Have Earned Back Their Budgets
The year 2025 has already seen the horror genre enjoy a fresh start following the success of Nosferatu, with the Oscar-nominated vampire horror lingering in theaters into the new year after its December 2024 release. Companion and the horror rom-com Heart Eyes would continue this trend, as each feature has managed to earn back its budget. Even with its mixed reception, Wolf Man earned back its budget of $25 million, although it is not a box-office success, as that budget likely placed its overall break-even point somewhere around $62.5 million.
Movies typically need to earn back two-and-a-half times their budgets at the box office, as theaters keep half of ticket sales and marketing costs are not included in production budgets.
As such, The Monkey continues a positive trend that is only likely to continue going into the rest of 2025. The year will see beloved horror franchises return to the big screen, such as M3GAN 2.0, Five Nights At Freddy's 2, Final Destination: Bloodlines, Predator: Badlands, and 28 Weeks Later. However, Opus and Death of a Unicorn also seem set to provide for those interested in bold, original horror. On top of that, Perkins has another movie called Keeper, which will reunite him with The Monkey star Tatiana Maslany.
Our Thoughts On The Monkey's Success
Perkins Is Solidifying Himself As An Esteemed Horror Director Thanks To A String Of Hits
Between existing icons returning and new, creative twists on the genre arriving in theaters, horror fans are set to be spoiled in 2025. Plus, audiences are clearly invested in low-budget horrors in contrast with large-budget blockbusters that find themselves struggling to make a significant profit. While not all of these movies will end up outgrossing The Monkey, which is performing well in the midbudget sphere, it seems highly likely that its current record will be broken before long, considering the stellar upcoming slate.
Related
Upcoming Horror Movies Releasing In 2025
The 2025 horror movie slate features the return of more than five horror franchises, awaited adaptations, and many great original stories.
Furthermore, The Monkey has not only set up a strong start for the horror genre in 2025, but it also continued a positive trend for Perkins himself. Not only was Longlegs a profitable and critical hit, but the Stephen King adaptation became his and distributor Neon's highest-grossing movie released to date, alongside the highest-grossing independent movie of the year. With Perkins already set to release his and Neon's next collaboration in October with Keeper, the movie seems set to be another fresh hit, thanks to the excitement surrounding the director's two most recent features.
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Source: Box Office Mojo
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The Monkey
R
Horror Comedy
6/10
24 7.4/10
- Release Date
- February 19, 2025
- Runtime
- 98 Minutes
- Director
- Osgood Perkins
- Writers
- Osgood Perkins
- Producers
- John Rickard, Natalia Safran, Ali Jazayeri, Chris Ferguson, Fred Berger, Giuliana Bertuzzi, James Wan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, John Friedberg, Jason Cloth, David Gendron, Michael Clear, Jesse Savath, Peter Luo, Dave Caplan
Cast
-
Theo James
Hal / Bill
-
Tatiana Maslany
Lois
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