“‘Speak No Evil’ Aims to Reign Over Kevin Costner’s Box Office Misfire”
2024 has been a challenging year for the horror genre, making it noteworthy that a film still struggling to surpass the $30 million mark is already ranked among the top five horror successes of the year. Speak No Evil, the English-language remake of the acclaimed Danish film, has grossed $28.5 million domestically after just over two weeks in theaters. While this figure may not be groundbreaking—given the usual financial successes of horror films—it’s enough to surpass several notable releases.
Speak No Evil has now overtaken the $28.4 million total of Reagan, a presidential biopic starring Dennis Quaid. In the coming days, it’s expected to surpass another film targeting middle-American audiences, Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1, which has underperformed at the box office with a total of $29 million against a hefty $50 million budget. A portion of this budget was personally funded by Kevin Costner, who directed and starred in the film, and he has two additional sequels in development. Although Chapter 2 was initially slated for an August release, it was postponed following the underwhelming performance of Chapter 1. Costner is also working on Chapter 3 and has plans for a fourth installment.
Speak No Evil recently surpassed the lifetime domestic totals of Abigail and Imaginary, which earned $25 million and $28 million, respectively. This accomplishment has secured its spot as one of the top five horror hits this year, following Night Swim ($32 million), Longlegs ($74 million), and A Quiet Place: Day One ($139 million). Additionally, two other horror-adjacent films—M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap and Alien: Romulus—have both outperformed Speak No Evil at the box office.
On a global scale, Speak No Evil has earned nearly $60 million. With a reported production budget of $15 million, the film opened to largely positive reviews and currently boasts an 83% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. Impressively, it holds an 85% audience score and a B+ CinemaScore from opening day viewers. Its strong reception among audiences has contributed to its impressive week-to-week box office performance, a rarity for horror films that typically experience front-loaded earnings.
Starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, and Scoot McNairy, Speak No Evil tells the story of two couples who find themselves in conflict during a vacation. The film is now available in theaters and for streaming at home. Stay tuned to Collider for further updates.
