Coming along 13 years after the first movie, brand new prequel Orphan: First Kill arrived in limited theaters over the weekend, releasing on Digital and streaming on Paramount+ at the very same time. Oddly enough, the well-reviewed Orphan: First Kill was released in just 498 theaters across the United States, a fraction of the theaters Beast was just released in.
In those 498 domestic locations, Orphan: First Kill managed to scare up $1,675,000 over the weekend, giving the prequel movie an impressive per-theater average of $3,363.
Back in 2009, Jaume Collet-Serra’s Orphan opened to $12.8 million at the domestic box office, a number Orphan: First Kill potentially would have hit if it had been given a wider release.
If, for example, Orphan: First Kill had opened in 3,743 theaters, the same amount of theaters that Beast opened in this weekend, that per-theater average brings the weekend total to $12.6 million. That’s a rough estimate based on available figures, of course, but it seems likely that First Kill would’ve enjoyed a nice little box office run if it had been given a wider release.
The film’s per-theater average was stronger than the per-theater average for Beast ($3,091), which roared its way to $11.6 million at the domestic box office over the weekend. Again, an impressive feat for First Kill considering it was streaming free for Paramount+ subscribers.
Worldwide, Orphan: First Kill currently sits at $2,193,996. Back in 2009, with a proper release and no day-and-date streaming rollout, Orphan legged its way to $77.9 million worldwide.
Would the positive word-of-mouth, driven in large part by another fun twist, have driven Orphan: First Kill to similar box office success with a wider release? Alas, we’ll never know.
Orphan: First Kill is now playing in theaters, available on Digital and streaming on Paramount+.
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