Blumhouse Is Banking on 'The Black Phone 2' to Bring Them Back from the Brink
Universal Pictures
Horror fans, buckle up—because Blumhouse desperately needs a win. The studio, once known as the unstoppable engine behind hits like Paranormal Activity and Get Out, has stumbled hard in recent years. After a rough streak at the box office between 2024 and 2025, the pressure is on for the upcoming The Black Phone 2 to not just perform—but deliver in a big way. But here’s where it gets interesting: can director Scott Derrickson pull off another miracle and repeat the success of the original?
A Crucial Test at the Box Office
According to Box Office Theory, The Black Phone 2 is tracking for an opening weekend between $20 and $28 million—a much-needed shot in the arm for Blumhouse. That would make it the studio’s biggest debut of 2025 and their best opening since Five Nights at Freddy’s stunned everyone with an $80 million launch in 2023. That film went on to earn a jaw-dropping $297 million worldwide, cementing itself as Blumhouse’s most successful movie ever. To put it plainly, that’s the level of win they’re chasing again.
The first Black Phone—based on Joe Hill’s haunting short story—opened in 2022 to $23.6 million and eventually scared up $161.4 million worldwide on a lean $18 million budget. About $71 million of that came from international audiences, proving the story’s global appeal. Those numbers suggest the sequel could be another lucrative chapter if early projections hold true. While the budget hasn’t been disclosed, Blumhouse typically keeps production costs below $30 million, and there’s little reason to believe that’s changed here.
The Story So Far: Enter The Grabber... Again
This chilling sequel brings back Finn (Mason Thames), now 17, as he struggles to rebuild his life after being kidnapped by the sadistic Grabber (Ethan Hawke). Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) begins receiving eerie dream calls through the mysterious black phone, leading her and Finn to a winter camp at Alpine Lake during a brutal storm. But there’s a twist—The Grabber isn’t done tormenting them. Yes, you read that right: he’s back from beyond the grave. The trailers make it abundantly clear—The Grabber is taking a page from Freddy Krueger’s playbook this time, blurring the line between nightmare and reality.
Fair or Not, the Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher
It’s no exaggeration to say Blumhouse has been through the wringer recently. Even setting aside 2024’s disappointments like Imaginary and Afraid, 2025 has been brutal. Wolf Man barely scraped together $35 million on a $25 million budget, while The Woman in the Yard and Drop both failed to find an audience despite modest budgets. But the real disaster was M3GAN 2.0, which earned a dismal $39 million globally—barely recovering its $25 million costs. When the original M3GAN made $182 million, that kind of drop-off was devastating. With that track record, The Black Phone 2 isn’t just another release—it’s a make-or-break moment for Blumhouse.
Derrickson’s Redemption Arc
Luckily, Blumhouse has a secret weapon: director Scott Derrickson. His previous collaboration with the studio, Sinister, pulled in nearly $90 million on an ultra-low $3 million budget—a masterclass in stretching a dollar. Reuniting with longtime writing partner and producer C. Robert Cargill, Derrickson has crafted a continuation that expands Joe Hill’s terrifying world while building its own identity. According to early reviews, that creative risk has paid off.
Critics Are Already Buzzing
Reviewer Rafael Motamayor from /Film called The Black Phone 2 a “fantastic sequel” that builds on and deepens the original. That’s not faint praise—especially heading into Halloween season, when audiences crave a reliable scare. With strong early word-of-mouth and prime holiday timing, this could be the film that drags Blumhouse out of its cold streak.
But here’s the question horror fans can’t stop asking: has Blumhouse lost its magic touch, or is The Black Phone 2 the comeback story that reclaims its crown as the king of modern horror? Sound off in the comments—are you rooting for Blumhouse’s return to glory, or do you think the studio’s golden era has already ended?
The Black Phone 2 hits theaters on October 17, 2025.
