Now nearing a month in release, the horror filmHeretichit a new global box office milestone this weekend. The movie is due to land on digital streaming platforms in a few days, after a successful run in theaters that saw it emerge as one of the biggest horror hits of the year. The past few months haven’t been the most forgiving for the otherwise lucrative genre, but smaller titles have routinely found their audience. Directed byScott BeckandBryan Woods— the writer duo behind the originalA Quiet Place— the movie starsHugh Grant, cast against type as a mysterious man who hounds a couple of missionaries who come knocking at his door.
With $26 million domestically and another $9 million from overseas markets,Heretichas nowpassed the $35 million mark worldwide. This is a solid result, especially when you consider itsreported budget of less than $10 million. With this,Heretichas cemented itself asthe 10th-biggest horror movie of the year, and the second-biggest domestic release of 2024 by the indie outfit A24.Heretichas out-performed more mainstream horror titles such asAbigail,The First Omen,The Watchers, andTarot.
It now trails the Blumhouse titleImaginaryby less than $2 million. The top-grossing horror movies this year areA Quiet Place: Day One($138 million),Alien: Romulus($105 million), andLonglegs($74 million). It has been observed that scary movies released by major studios have faltered, while those distributed by indie outfits have done rather well.Hereticopened to excellent reviews, although audience response was a little mixed. This is typical of horror titles, especially those that don’t fall into conventional categories.
‘Heretic’ Is Among the Best-Reviewed Horror Movies of the Year
The movie appears to have settled at a “fresh” 91% approval rating on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus reading, “Hugh Grant has infectious fun playing against type inHeretic, a religious horror that preaches the gospel of cerebral chills over cheap shocks.”In his review, Collider’sRoss Bonaimepraised the performancesand wrote that the movie “is at its best when it lets Grant take the reins with a lengthy monologue and go off on his visitors.” But he also noted that the “narrative starts to fall apart” the further it takes audiences into the protagonist’s house.
Also starringChloe EastandSophie Thatcher,Hereticis available to watch in theaters. It’ll be released on digital on December 10. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
