Earlier today, the official social media accounts related to the Halloween films announced the 45 Years of Terror convention set to happen in Pasadena later this year! This convention will be the fifth such convention, following 2003’s inaugural 25 Years of Terror convention, which later occurred in 2008 (’30 Years…’), 2013 (’35 Years…’) and 2018 (’40 Years’).
While the guests and additional information have yet to be revealed, the official website for the convention has been launched at Halloween45.com! There, you can sign up for their mailing list which will send out updates about the convention as they occur.
Another sad update to bring you, as various publications are reporting the death of George P. Wilbur. Wilbur was brought in to portray Michael Myers in The Return of Michael Myers after production had already started, assisted with stunts in The Revenge of Michael Myers and later reprised the masked Shape for the initial production in The Curse of Michael Myers.
In addition to his work with what has retroactively become known as the Thorn Trilogy, Wilbur also did stunt work with many of our favourite Hollywood productions in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. He was also a common figure at various horror and Halloween related conventions.
Recently, his likeness was used for a rather amusing sketch from an episode of Fox’s Family Guy, in which we find out that Tom Tucker is the alter ego of George P. Wilbur.
Rest in peace, George, and a heartfelt thank you for your contributions to the franchise and to movies as a whole.
Unfortunate news to share today, as various horror publications are reporting that original Halloween stuntman Jim Winburn has sadly passed away at the age of 85. His manager confirmed the death, stating it was the result of a previously undisclosed illness affecting the stuntman.
Rest in peace, Jim, and a heartfelt thank you for your contributions to the franchise and movies as a whole.
First up, the good news. This weekend had the best total box office in eight weekends, led by Halloween Ends, which had the best opening in twelve weekends. The weekend was 31% above last weekend and 39% above the average of the past seven weekends.
As for the bad news, the $41.3 million opening of Halloween Ends was well below expectations, and it ranks as the lowest of the new trilogy. The iconic horror franchise was revived by director David Gordon Green in 2018, who brought back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. The film was a smash, opening to $76.2 million (still the third best ever for a horror film, and best overall for a slasher) and ultimately grossing $159 million domestically and $255 million worldwide, but the series has been declining since. The sequel Halloween Kills – possibly impacted by a combination of a sophomore slump, pandemic blues, and its availability on the Peacock streaming platform – opened to $49 million and went on to gross $92 million domestically and $132 million worldwide. As Halloween Ends released in a healthier marketplace than a year ago, it was hoped that it would at least match its predecessor.
The new film also received the trilogy’s weakest response from audiences, getting a C+ CinemaScore compared to the B+ on Halloween (2018) and B- on Halloween Kills. Reviews (40% on Rotten Tomatoes) were about on par with Halloween Kills, with both films far below the acclaimed 2018 Halloween (79%). Reviews may not matter here, and a C+ CinemaScore isn’t especially bad for a horror film, but still, there’s nothing here to suggest Halloween Ends won’t repeat Halloween Kills’ legs. If Ends has the same 1.86 multiplier as Kills, that would give it a domestic finish of $76.7 million, less than half the cume of Halloween.
Universal’s decision to release the film on Peacock day and date with its 3,901 theater release may have cost it a good chunk of the potential gross. Still, despite underperforming, the film looks like a moneymaker. It doesn’t have to worry about recouping its reported $20-30 million production budget after the $58.4 million worldwide debut, and it actually did better abroad than Halloween Kills, though these films are fairly domestic heavy. The opening is still the best of the year for a traditional horror film (excluding Jordan Peele’s Nope), and it’s still a strong opening if you put the comparisons and expectations aside.
Article courtesy of Box Office Mojo, with additional editing by 45 Lampkin Lane.
Halloween Ends may be the last we see of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, but the horror series still kills at the box office. Universal’s slasher finale is off to a strong start, projecting a $43.4 million opening from 3,901 theaters.
Even with Halloween Ends receiving a simultaneous streaming debut on Peacock, the film has managed to draw an impressive figure. Though Ends will debut slightly beneath initial projections, it will earn more than enough to top weekend charts, sparking some life into what has largely been a muted season for moviegoing. In fact, Ends will likely be the first film to open higher than $40 million at the domestic box office since Universal’s Nope nearly three months ago.
Ends is tracking below last year’s predecessor Halloween Kills, which earned a $49 million domestic opening in its own day-and-date release. 2018’s Halloween, the first entry in this new sequel trilogy to John Carpenter’s landmark 1978 original, released exclusively to theaters and garnered a staggering $76 million – the highest domestic debut for a slasher film.
Even with the horror franchise’s sink into diminishing financial returns, Halloween Ends only carries a $20 million production budget, meaning that the film is likely to be well on its way to turning a profit.
Renowned horror author Stephen King took to Twitter yesterday afternoon to offer his personal feedback on Halloween Ends, the polarizing conclusion to Blumhouse’s Halloween trilogy. Elements of the film’s plot have already drawn comparisons to two of King’s most famous novels – It and Christine – and it seems the author was overall impressed by the final product.
With its release fast approaching, some initial reviews for Halloween Ends have begun to pop up! The following two are courtesy of Dread Central’s Josh Korngut and Bloody Disgusting’s Meagan Navarro. Check out some excerpts from the reviews below.
From the opening scene of Halloween Ends onward, you can almost feel its creatives attempt to back-pedal on the unpopular choices made in Halloween Kills. While I personally enjoyed the nonsensical parade of silly violence the second Blumhouse installment provided, there’s a good chance my appreciation for that campy and clumsy sequel lays firmly in the minority.
The conclusion to David Gordon Green’s series of Michael Myers titles went back to the drawing board to establish a different, quieter, and weirder tone than either of the previously Jason Blum-backed entries handed over. But it doesn’t work. I believe there is still a fundamental misunderstanding of its intimate suburban source material. From the romantic through-lines to its introduction to new wellsprings of Myers mythology, Halloween Ends drives us as far from away from Carpenter’s Haddonfield as it possibly can. And I’m not sure if that was its intention.
Read the full review at DreadCentral.com
Halloween Ends does live up to its title, but that confrontation gets tacked on to a bizarre new story set four years after Kills.
Since 2018, Michael Myers has disappeared, and his house has been bulldozed to the ground. Laurie finally attempts to move on and find peace. Laurie may be the town’s freak show, but Haddonfield has a new target of scorn in young Corey (Rohan Campbell). Corey’s promising life derailed when, in 2019, a babysitter gig on Halloween night ended in shocking tragedy. The trauma lingering beneath the surface in Haddonfield comes boiling forth, igniting a new chain of violence when Corey crosses paths with Laurie and Allyson.
Writers Paul Brad Logan, Chris Bernier, Danny McBride, and Green frame the trilogy’s conclusion around Corey. It chronicles the inciting event that derailed his life and his present as the browbeaten pariah who can’t catch a break. Through him, Green further explores the overarching themes of infectious, nebulous wrath and evil, and Haddonfield is crueler than ever. Because this is mostly Corey’s story, some of the more established, returning players become nothing more than avatars to Ends’ themes; their personalities shift based on narrative need.
Read the full review at Bloody-Disgusting.com
They say you can’t control evil, but now you can grow evil with the Michael Myers Chia Pet! The silently stalking slasher is back, but instead of stabbing, he will be sprouting. Have Halloween horror of the first-order with the Michael Myers Chia Pet!
Handmade pottery planter comes with 1 packet of Chia® seeds good for 3 plantings, convenient plastic drip tray and planting & care instructions. In just 1-2 weeks your Michael Myers Chia Pet will achieve maximum growth. Chia Planters can be washed and replanted indefinitely.
You can purchase the Michael Myers Chia Pet at Chia’s official website.
In keeping with tradition of its predecessors, Halloween Ends is set to release an official novelization just four days after its simultaneous cinema and Peacock™ release!
Written by Paul Brad Logan, one of the film’s screenwriters, the novelization checks in at 368 pages and is once again published by Titan Books.
You can pre-order the novelization at Amazon and other retailers where books are sold.
It’s officially Halloween Ends release month, and a brand new featurette – focusing on the one and only Jamie Lee Curtis – has just dropped, alongside a set of exclusive new images courtesy of Bloody Disgusting.