This weekend sees the latest in a new generation of “Universal Monster” movies with Wolf Man. Director Leigh Whannell previously struck gold with his adaptation of The Invisible Man and while his new film isn’t receiving quite the response from critics, it’s still poised to be a solid hit, thanks to a less than blockbuster budget.
Following the failed launch of Universal’s Dark Universe, the studio decided to pivot and create new versions of classic monster movies as stand-alone projects. Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man was a proof of concept that made a lot of money on a micro-budget, while also being a hit with critics. The film’s success put him in charge of the modern reimagining of the Wolfman. The new movie isn’t fairing quite as well so far, but that may not actually be a problem.
Wolf Man Is Struggling With Critics Compared To The Invisible Man
Four years ago, just before movie theaters were shut down by a global pandemic, Universal released The Invisible Man with Elizabeth Moss. This updated adaptation of the classic story was a win with critics, as shown by the film’s 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. This weekend Whannell’s newest monster adaptation Wolf Man debuts. Wolf Man hasn’t won over critics, it sits at a “rotten” 55% as of this writing. It could still end up being a solid hit as Variety reports the movie is looking at a domestic opening weekend of $17- $21 million, and the movie only cost $25 million to make.
Wolf Man Doesn’t Need To Blow Away The Box Office To Be A Hit
While we so often focus on box office returns and how much movies make compared to each other to determine what’s a hit and what is not, the real question for any movie from the studio’s standpoint, is how much did the movie make, compared to what it cost? The Invisible Man made less than $140 million worldwide in 2020, but considering it only cost $7 million to make, that’s an incredible return on investment.
Wolf Man, by comparison cost more, but $25 million is still peanuts in the grand scheme of movie production. If Wolf Man is able to bring in a box office on the high end of its domestic estimate, when that’s added to the rest of its global take, as Wolf Man is releasing in most of its foreign markets this weekend, the movie could very easily make its money back, or even end up slightly profitable, by the end of its opening weekend alone.
Wolf Man isn’t the only classic Monster movie on the 2025 movie schedule. Guillermo del Toro’s version of Frankenstein for Netflix is set to debut this year as well. James Wan is also reportedly working on Universal’s next offering, a remake of Creature From the Black Lagoon. And the classic Universal Monsters will also be making their theme park debut later this year when Universal Orlando Resort’s Epic Universe opens in May.