Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers of his generation. He has published hundreds of stories across a variety of genres, including fantasy, drama, and suspense. Primarily, he is best known for his work as a horror writer. He brought countless horror stories into the world, including Carrie (1974), The Shining (1980), Misery (1990), and more. Many of these short stories and novels have been adapted on screen, where they have enjoyed a strong legacy. Stephen King’s best movies, after all, are international phenomenons.
Prior to breaking out as a beloved author, King served as an English teacher in Maine.
Carrie (1976), Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), Children of the Corn (1984), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), and Pet Sematary (1989) are among just some of King’s adaptations. While King certainly does not love each one, they have all become classics in their own ways, and each earned critical recognition. He has seen some failures, including 1990’s Graveyard Shift and 2017’s The Dark Tower. Still, he generally receives immense renown for each adaptation, and he has certainly left his mark on the horror genre.
Stephen King’s The Monkey Has Already Thrived
The Trailer Has Been Record-Breaking
Stephen King’s latest horror movie, The Monkey, just set a trailer viewing record. Inspired by King’s 1980 short story about a murderous toy monkey, the horror-comedy is directed by Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) and stars Theo James (Divergent), Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black), Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings), and more. The Monkey‘s bizarre second trailer comes weeks before its February 21, 2025, release date and is just the latest promotional step for the movie. The adaptations has already earned strong reviews from critics.
According to data from WaveMetrix (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline), King’s latest adaptation has enjoyed an unprecedented reception. In its first 24 hours, The Monkey‘s first trailer amᴀssed 43 million viewers. After 72 hours, it had already managed to earn over 100 million. It sits at 109 million viewers across all platforms at the time of writing, partly thanks to viewers on TikTok. No non-MPA independent horror trailer has ever earned more viewers in such a short timeframe. It just pᴀssed Smile (2022)’s 100 million viewer count, while also pᴀssing Nosferatu‘s 74 million count.
What The Monkey’s Trailer Reception Means
It Could Enjoy A Strong Response At The Box Office
This viewership count does not necessarily mean that this movie will be a breakout success, but it is a good sign. The Monkey has enjoyed strong reviews from critics who have praised its over-the-top kills and hilarious narrative. If audiences react similarly, it could experience a powerful response through word-of-mouth, which can increase the profitability of its run in theaters. The trailer count could also translate to a strong opening weekend, which will be much-needed given the state of the box office since the pandemic.
The Monkey‘s budget is estimated to be around $10 million. Generally, a film has to earn between two to two-and-a-half times its budget to be considered profitable, meaning the King adaptation could be looking at a break-even point of between $20 million and $25 million. One of the reasons why horror continues to be such an attractive genre for filmmakers and studios is because they can generally come out in the black on a fairly modest investment, and The Monkey looks to be no exception in this regard.
The Monkey Could Break A Stephen King Adaptation Trend
The Last Few Years Haven’t Been Kind To King Adaptations
There has been a regular cadence of King adaptations for decades now, but not all have been winners. There have been five adaptations released since 2020, and most have disappointed either critically or commercially, or both. As seen in the chart below, The Boogeyman (2023) is the only movie that really found success critically and at the box office, but the critical response, it should be noted, is still somewhat lukewarm overall.
The Life of Chuck reviews have been glowing so far, but this King adaptation, which hails from director Mike Flanagan, isn’t included in the chart below because it’s not set to premiere theatrically until later this year.
|
Stephen King Adaptations Since 2020 – Key Figures |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
тιтle |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
Est. Budget |
Worldwide Box Office |
|
Children of the Corn (2020) |
11% |
38% |
$10M |
$575,179 (limited release) |
|
Firestarter (2022) |
10% |
47% |
$12M |
$15M |
|
Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022) |
46% |
51% |
N/A/ |
N/A (Netflix release) |
|
The Boogeyman (2023) |
61% |
66% |
$35M |
$82M |
|
Salem’s Lot (2024) |
46% |
38% |
N/A |
$851,156 (limited release) |
Our Take On The Monkey’s New Trailer Record
Will The King Adaptation Repeat Longlegs’ Success?
Though Longlegs reviews were somewhat lukewarm from audiences, there’s no denying that that film succeeded when it came to marketing. The trailers and marketing were so effective, in fact, that they may have raised viewer expectations to a point where the movie just could not meet them. Either way, the film’s mᴀssive success cemented Perkins as a major voice in the world of horror, and the early response to The Monkey‘s trailer suggests he could be looking at another big win.
Judging from the YouTube comments, the sentiment towards the footage included in The Monkey‘s new trailer is very positive. If the movie manages to meet viewer expectations and find box office success, Perkins’ future as a filmmaker will be looking especially bright. With marketing for The Monkey being fairly forthcoming about what kind of movie it is, it’s also already looking like the film will avoid what happened with Longlegs, which evidently had some viewers feeling let down.
Source: WaveMetrix (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline)
