Can Zach Cregger’s slasher film “The Barbarian” scare up enough ticket sales to top the domestic box office?
Though it is a quiet week, with only one other major release — the Indian Hindi-language action-adventure “Brahmastra Part One: Shiva” — the horror film edged out box office mainstays on Friday as “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Bullet Train” fought to retain their hold at the top of the charts.
“Barbarian” took home $3.8 million on Friday, with a projected $9 million over the weekend. Trailing behind is “Brahmastra,” which opened with $2 million, a number that is estimated to grow to $3.6 million by Sunday.
A month after its release, “Bullet Train” continues to sell tickets. The Brad Pitt-starring action pic is poised to add another $3.3 million to its haul this weekend. After winning the Labor Day weekend, “Top Gun: Maverick” slid down to fourth place, with a three-day estimate of just under $3 million, a 51% decrease from the quiet long weekend.
But with good reviews and word-of-mouth behind it, it’s not impossible, especially with films hitting the top in the single-digit millions in the post-summer slump.
“Barbarian’s” early dominance, humble as it is, is a welcome sight to moviegoers looking for a new thrill. Variety‘s Peter Debruge, for one, called “The Barbarian” a “new horror classic,” writing: “A simple premise involving a double-booked vacation rental gets downright demented as it goes along in Zach Cregger’s unpredictable and thoroughly enjoyable debut.”
In an interview with Variety, Cregger — who comes from the comedy world as part of sketch group Whitest Kids U’Know — teased that the plot advertised in its trailer is not the one viewers will see in theaters.
“That’s not to say it’s a bait and switch or false advertising, but there’s just no way you could know what’s coming,” Cregger said.
