Summary
- The Last Voyage of the Demeter had a disappointing box office performance, making only $750,000 during its preview screenings at $319.15 per cinema.
- Despite its struggles, the film is expected to make around $6.5 million to $7 million during its opening weekend, with a total domestic run of $20 million to $25 million.
- Comparisons to the film Renfield suggest that The Last Voyage of the Demeter may struggle to make a profit, as Renfield made $8 million during its opening weekend and $26.3 million worldwide.
As the ole cliché goes, The Last Voyage of the Demeter sank at the box office. The latest Universal Pictures project to feature Count Dracula — portrayed this time around by Javier Botet — ran aground much like the new film’s ill-fated ship when it sailed into cinemas on Thursday, August 10. Director André Øvredal's (Troll Hunter, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Mortal) movie struggled to find an audience as it failed to reach even $1 million during its preview screenings.
According to The Numbers, The Last Voyage of the Demeter only made $750,000 at the domestic box office on Thursday. The latest chapter in the ever-expanding Dracula mythology opened in 2,350 theaters for its early screenings, which means the scary flick only raked in a dismal $319.15 per cinema.
During its first, full day of release on Friday, August 11, The Last Voyage of the Demeter is expected to expand to 2,715 theaters. Should the film’s paltry per-cinema average somehow hold, Øvredal’s big-screen venture would only make $2.6 million over its opening weekend ($866,492 per day). Fortunately, Dracula’s voyage shouldn’t incur that sort of cataclysmic shipwreck at the box office.
Dracula Won’t Scare Off Its Competition
The Last Voyage of the Demeter is facing an uphill battle at the box office over its opening weekend. But, as most films’ numbers almost always do, Dracula’s new tale should see a significant spike from its preview audiences to those attending on opening day. At the time of this writing, director André Øvredal's movie is forecasted to bring in approximately $6.5 million to $7 million during its opening weekend. And that means The Last Voyage of the Demeter could be sailing — come on you hackneyed puns — to somewhere between $20 million and $25 million total domestically during its theatrical run.
According to Deadline, The Last Voyage of the Demeter’s budget comes in at a bloated $45 million. But even if Dracula’s scourge on the ill-fated ship cost closer to $37 million to make, as some publications report, Universal Pictures will have trouble making a profit. In fact, another tale of the Transylvanian Count, which opened earlier this year, can help predict the Demeter’s course.
Renfield descended on theaters in April, and the Nicholas Hoult/Nicolas Cage teaming yielded $8 million for Universal Pictures over the horror comedy’s opening weekend. Now, consider that The Last Voyage of the Demeter is forecasted to make less than that during its first three days in cinemas. That means a $20-million total at the domestic box office might be a stretch, since Renfield only made $17.2 million in the United States.
At the time of this writing, the international numbers for The Last Voyage of the Demeter aren’t available. However, Renfield only managed to scare up $9.2 million overseas for a total of $26.3 million worldwide. The numbers don’t bode well for Øvredal’s outing, and there’s absolutely no chance that his Dracula will stand toe-to-toe with Greta Gerwig’s monster blockbuster.
Going into its fourth weekend of release, Barbie is forecasted to bring in another $30 million in the U.S. And, while The Last Voyage of the Demeter couldn’t even reach $1 million in previews, Barbie supporters paid another $7.2 million on Thursday to see the Mattel doll adaptation. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is now playing.