Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep, though an ambitious sequel, has only been moderately received by critics and audiences alike. Whatever the reason may be – whether it’s the film’s attempt to appease both Stanley Kubrick and Stephen King, or its shortcomings in the pacing department – The Shining sequel has been more or less a dud for Warner Brothers.
While the film is sitting at a comfortable 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, the box office sales over its first weekend were less than spectacular – roughly $34 million worldwide. And now, according to a sources cited by Deadline, Doctor Sleep is on its way to losing WB over $20 million by the end of its theatrical run.
As the report lays out, this prediction would come true if the film earns $100 million globally. But, should the ticket sales end up being lower than that, “in the $80M range,” then the deficit would swell to over $30 million.
This underperformance is sealing off a fourth quarter of ups-and-downs for WB – the studio, on the one hand, took hits from festival flops like The Goldfinch (a reported $50 million loss) and Edward Norton’s Motherless Brooklyn, but on the other, released Joker, which has become the most profitable comic book movie of all time.
But the fault may not be all on the film. Perhaps the entire moviegoing public is suffering from a Halloween-induced sugar hangover, because, in nearly every respect, the November box office has been a total disaster. Big studio pushes like Paramount’s Terminator: Dark Fate have tanked, and upcoming films like Sony’s Charlie’s Angels is already, as the report puts it, ” having its box office obituary written.”
With all this said, tell us, did you see Doctor Sleep? If so, did you think it was better than its grosses give it credit for? Or is this just about right? Be sure to drop us a comment down below and share your thoughts.