Based on a short story by Stephen King, The Boogeyman was initially intended to release on Hulu before getting upgraded to a full theatrical release. While the film has not been a huge hit with critics, it is holding on to a Fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes with a 60%. After opening night, however, its Cinemascore indicates it may have been better off heading straight to streaming.
Opening night audiences have chimed in and given director Rob Savage‘s adaptation of King’s 1973 short a B-. That score puts it on par with recent horror and horror-ish films The Pope’s Exorcist and Renfield and combined with the projected $15M opening weekend box office take (it’s up against Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, for Pete’s or Miles’ sake) does not bode well for a long and successful theatrical run.
Regarded as one of King’s more terrifying works of fiction, The Boogeyman tells the tale of a man named Lester Billings and his horrific history with the titular monster. While critics have praised the atmosphere of the film adaptation, they’ve been less bullish on the creative choices made jumping from page to screen, insisting something was lost in translation.
You can read our review here and check The Boogeyman out for yourself in theaters.
Source: Cinemascore
