Robert Eggers' fourth feature film, the vampire nightmareNosferatu, has already outperformed expectations at the box office, which comes as a relief after the relative failure of Eggers' previous movie. Like all of Robert Eggers' movies so far,Nosferatuhas been met with excellent Rotten Tomatoes scores, and the box office return has reflected its perceived quality. StarringBill Skarsgård as the vicious Count Orlokalongside Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Willem Dafoe,Nosferatuis already among the most successful vampire adaptations ever.
WhileRobert Eggers' movieshave always garnered acclaim from critics, they have not all seen the box office success to match it. Eggers' debut movieThe Witch, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, was an unquestioned hit as it made more than 10 times its very small $4 million budget, but his next two films failed to turn much of a profit at all. In fact, his movie beforeNosferatuwas such a failure at the box office (again, despite critical acclaim), that it cast some doubt over the chances that the vampire movie would be successful.
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The Northman’s Box Office Created Some Doubt About Nosferatu’s Chances To Succeed
Despite Glowing Critical Reviews, The Northman Was A Certifiable Box Office Flop
Robert Eggers' historical action movieThe Northmanadapted the well-known legend of Amleth, a Viking prince dead-set on avenging his father, starring Alexander Skarsgård and an ensemble cast loaded with Hollywood A-listers. The bloody and violent action epic was met with effusive praise from critics for its jaw-dropping visuals, attention to historical detail, and powerful performances. However, none of the factors working in the movie’s favor pulled people into the theaters;it managed just $69.6 million at the box office on a budget of $70-$90 million, confirming its status as a flop.
February 19th, 2016
$4 million
$40.4 million
91%
60%
October 18th, 2019
$11 million
$18.3 million
90%
72%
April 22nd, 2022
$70-90 million
$69.6 million
64%
December 25th, 2024
$50 million
$56.2 million (and counting)
87%
75%
The Northmanactually performed very well once it hit the home market, topping most charts for rentals and purchases in its debut weekend for streaming and physical media. As usual, reports of the final combined total earned by the movie are conflicted, but no matter the performance outside the theaters, its box office return (or lack thereof)had many concerned thatNosferatu, which had a $50 million budget, would suffer a similar fate toThe Northman, no matter the quality of the film.
Nosferatu Is Already Performing Much Better At The Box Office Than The Northman
The Horror Movie Made Its Budget Back In Roughly A Week
Fortunately,Nosferatuhad no such trouble at the box office in its first week in theaters. Despite being released alongside perceived box office heavy hittersA Complete Unknown(the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet) andBabygirl(the erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson),Nosferaturoared out of the gate to a five-day domestic opening total of $40.8 million, far surpassing initial estimates of around $25 million. For comparison,The Northmanmanaged just $34.2 million domestically in its entire theatrical run.
Robert Eggers considered several other high-profile actors for the role of Count Orlok, including Mads Mikkelsen, Daniel Day-Lewis, and even Willem Dafoe, who stars inNosferatuas Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz.
In its first nine days,Nosferatuhas achieved a global total of $56.2 million, meaning that it’s already managed to recoup its total budget. It should have no problem surpassingThe Northman’s $69.6 million box office total in the next week or two, making it far more profitable despite having a lower budget. Those numbers don’t include the home media totals, which should be significant forNosferatuwhen it finally debuts on streaming platforms and physical media, especially with aRobert Eggers' extended cut release planin place.
Why Nosferatu Is A Box Office Hit For Robert Eggers When The Northman Wasn’t
Nosferatu’s Timing And Built-In Horror Audience Helped It Succeed
The Northmanhad a few factors working against its theatrical release, most notably the timing. A release in the middle of April alongside the highly-anticipated Nicolas Cage/Pedro Pascal featureThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which targeted a nearly identical audience, meantit had legitimate head-to-head competition in a hit-or-miss time of the year for moviegoers, with summer blockbuster season not yet underway nor any holidays to focus around. It also hit streaming platforms after being in theaters for just a few weeks, which further hurt its box office total.
Nosferatumanaged to give Eggers the box office credibility he deserves, which should help in greenlighting future movies or his rumored TV series.
Nosferatu, meanwhile, had very little competition asthe only major horror release around Christmas 2024. It clearly benefited from the built-in horror audience thatThe Northmanlacked, and more people off of work meant more potential for casual moviegoers to check it out, especially with the hype around Bill Skarsagård’s transformation and performance as Count Orlok.Nosferatunot only managed to continue Robert Eggers' streak of high-quality films, it managed to give Eggers the box office credibility he deserves, which should help in greenlighting future movies or hisrumored TV series.
Nosferatu
Cast
Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.
