Why Annabelle's Cheap Gore Pays Off More Than Gone Girl

Moviegoers spent about $63 million this past weekend to see Gone Girl, a critically praised film with an all-star cast. But Americans forked out almost as much to watch Annabelle, a creepy horror flick starring a doll with a budget of less than $7 million. Gone Girl, by comparison, cost about $60 million to make. In other words, the cheap thriller started turning a profit sometime before Friday’s late show while the prestige film probably isn’t in the black yet—at least not for a few more hours.

When it comes to returns, inexpensive gore still provides Hollywood’s happiest endings. The formula isn’t complicated. Horror films are ridiculously cheap to make, in no small part because viewers don’t demand Ben Affleck-level actors. The films lend themselves to sequels, prequels, and spinoffs, locking in a devoted fan base for a string of low-cost products. Finally, horror movies tend to do best in the weeks leading up to Halloween, which is traditionally a bit of a wasteland in terms of major film releases—a lull between summer blockbusters and a glut of holiday films.