There was much to discuss at the box office this past weekend. Colleen Hoover had another big hit based on one of her books in Verity. Tom Cruise suffered the biggest flop of his career with Digger. Unfortunately, much lower down on the charts, an original creature feature ended up being completely overshadowed by everything else that was going on.
Directed by Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn), the Jessica Rothe vs giant snake movie Beware Boiúna was, relatively speaking, completely ignored on its opening weekend. It landed way outside of the top ten at number 14 on the domestic charts, pulling in just $550,000 on over 1,100 screens. That gives it a per-screen average of $490. That means it’s pretty much DOA and will be lucky to get another couple of weekends on the big screen before it’s rushed to VOD. Pour one out. This is a massive bummer.
It’s unclear what Lionsgate invested in the original horror flick but even if it was shockingly cheap, this wasn’t the result anyone was hoping for. It’s a real shame for Nelson who has delivered great work in recent years, including last year’s Silent Night, Deadly Night remake. With any luck, this one will catch on with its intended audience once it hits streaming.
The movie takes place deep in the Amazon as a medical mission spirals into a fight for survival when Boiúna, a colossal ancient predator, awakens to reclaim her domain. In the jungle where nature holds absolute power, she decides who lives and who dies. The cast also includes Kiana Madeira (Fear Street) and Logan Marshall-Green (Upgrade). Alan McElroy (Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers) penned the screenplay.
Fortunately for Nelson, he’s already got his next high profile gig lined up. He was recently named as the director of the next Saw movie, which is currently in the works at Blumhouse after the studio acquired the rights to the franchise last year. Still, for a guy who has worked magic with pre-existing IP in his career, it would have been nice to see an original movie of his doing some business. Particularly in a year where movies like Obsession and Backrooms did so much business. Alas.
Looking ahead, this weekend sees the release of the Jessica Chastain-starring Other Mommy, which figures to be a big hit. Then on October 16 we’ve got Whalefall to look forward to, before DC’s R-rated Clayface arrives on October 23.
Beware Boiúna is in theaters now.
