Indie horror consistently overperforms at the box office.
Recent surprise hits include the “Terrifier” series, “MaXXXine” and “Late Night with the Devil.”
Small budgets. Big ROI. Tell that to “Y2K” and its troubled leading lady.
The A24 studio’s latest takes a cheeky look at possible computer glitches at the turn of the century. Many expected a digital disaster of epic proportions. Spoiler alert: It was all hype.
It’s fine fodder for a movie, particularly a horror comedy starring Rachel Zegler, the biggest star in the relatively unknown cast.
Tell that to audiences, who avoided the film for more mainstream titles like “Wicked,” “Moana 2” and “Gladiator 2.”
“Y2K’s” tepid pre-release forecast tapped out at $5 million. No such luck over the weekend, with the film earning just $2.1 million from 2,100 theaters.
The far-Left Deadline noted how poorly the film performed, both for the spunky genre and its most notable star.
Genre has typically worked here in a niche form, but not this year as A24’s Rachel Zegler-led Y2K is blipping out with a $2.1M opening and a C- CinemaScore. While arthouse distribs like Neon and A24 have low thresholds for success, and this Kyle Mooney-directed horror comedy cost under $15M, $2M+ isn’t anything to brag about — if it gets there. And it’s certainly not good for Zegler.
Zegler, a rising star thanks to “West Side Story” and the “Hunger Games” prequel, cemented her “It” actress status by snagging the lead role in Disney’s “Snow White’ live-action film.
She proceeded to crush that goodwill with baffling statements that riled up audiences across the country. First, she slammed the “Snow White” source material, calling it “weird” and suggesting the new version would fix what was wrong with a movie that jump-started the Disney empire.
More recently, she savaged President-Elect Donald Trump’s voters, hoping they would “never know peace” following the mogul’s Election Day victory. The comments went viral, adding to her brand as a spoiled actress eager to insult potential movie goers.
She quickly backpedaled, apologizing for her cruel words. Did audiences reject “Y2K” in response?
Ziegler’s “Snow White,” co-starring Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, hits theaters in March. The Disney brand, revived with recent hits like “Inside Out 2” and “Moana 2,” could be enough to make the movie a hit.
The other possibility?
Zegler’s comments catch up with both her and the film, sinking its chances to recoup its outrageous budget.
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