The Bride Early Reactions Reportedly Revealed & They Spell Trouble For Maggie Gyllenhaal’s $100M Frankenstein Movie

The earliest reactions are in for The Bride, but they are not a good sign for the film. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s new movie is one of two Frankenstein adaptations this year, with the other helmed by Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro. The Bride will take the world of Frankenstein to 1930s Chicago, where the тιтular character asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion, bringing a murdered woman back to life. Its leading cast includes Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, and Annette Bening.

Per Puck, the early reactions have been revealed for The Bride. It’s not looking positive, with the head of one production company saying, to give her [director Maggie Gyllenhaal] anything more than $15 million to make the movie is irresponsible, as far as I’m concerned.” Early test screenings have not been universally positive, with some reporting that the film might be too arthouse and not as neatly categorized in the horror genre to draw in enough audience to recoup its budget.

What This Means For The Bride

The Bride Could Lose Big Money


The-Lost-Daughter-Olivia-Colman-Leda

The Bride‘s estimated budget is supposedly over $100 million, which is the equivalent budget of many Hollywood action movies or other large-scale productions. Films usually need to make 2-2.5x their budget to break even after the cost of publicity and advertising. This means that The Bride needs to make $200 to $250 million to break even before going into profitable margins. This is a hefty sum even for movies that are concretely in the horror genre, as only a select number of genre films cross this threshold yearly, making this test screening feedback troubling.

The Bride‘s troubling prospect could have negative implications for Gyllenhaal as a director. Though she has been acting for years, this is only her second feature film in the director’s chair. The first was 2021’s Netflix movie The Lost Daughter, which had a reported budget of only around $5 million. Still, the movie was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Gyllenhaal for Best Adapted Screenplay. While this started the actor-turned-director’s behind-the-scenes career off strong, this could all go downhill if she loses a major studio a bunch of money.

Our Take On The Bride Early Reactions

Its Budget Seems Unrealistic


Jessie Buckley with black goo splattered on her face in The Bride

If The Bride‘s budget is indeed as high as it was reported to be, this seems like a pretty surprising choice from the studios. While this is not directly a Frankenstein adaptation, the closest comparison point I see for an arthouse The Bride is 2023’s Poor Things, a highly artistic film with a Frankenstein-reminiscent storyline. Even with an established director, that movie had a budget of only $35 million, which is much smaller by comparison. As such, it seems like The Bride is not just a misdirection if the reactions prove true, but also a case of over-budgeting by the studio.

Source: Puck

Related Posts

New Stephen King Adaptation Enters Top 10 Box Office Hits For The Author, Surpᴀssing Classics Like The Shining & Stand By Me

New Stephen King Adaptation Enters Top 10 Box Office Hits For The Author, Surpᴀssing Classics Like The Shining & Stand By Me

When it comes to authors who have had their works adapted into major feature films, Stephen King has few equals. 1976’s Carrie from director Brian De Palma…

I’m Convinced The MCU Needs To Bring Back 1 Major Villain Team After Missing The Perfect Chance In Captain America: Brave New World

I’m Convinced The MCU Needs To Bring Back 1 Major Villain Team After Missing The Perfect Chance In Captain America: Brave New World

After Captain America: Brave New World reinvented a wild villain in the MCU, I really hope Marvel Studios brings back one wasted villainous organization from Phase 4…

I Dare You To Leave The Edge Of Your Seat During These 10 Unique Thrillers From The 2010s

I Dare You To Leave The Edge Of Your Seat During These 10 Unique Thrillers From The 2010s

The 2010s were a great decade for thrillers, with several outstanding movies that shook up the genre and became instant classics. Directors like David Fincher and Martin…

John Travolta & Gina Gershon Are Caught Criminals In High Rollers Clip

John Travolta & Gina Gershon Are Caught Criminals In High Rollers Clip

John Travolta & Gina Gershon Are Caught Criminals In High Rollers Clip

Moana 2’s Wayfinders Ending Will Be A Key Question For Future Stories In Exciting Comments From Director

Moana 2’s Wayfinders Ending Will Be A Key Question For Future Stories In Exciting Comments From Director

Moana 2 co-director David Derrick Jr. explains how the sequel’s ending with the new wayfinders could shape future installments. Moana 2 was released in November 2024 as…

The Surfer Review: Nicolas Cage’s Anxiety-Inducing Performance Is That Of A Man On The Edge In Slow-Burn Thriller That Isn’t What It Seems

The Surfer Review: Nicolas Cage’s Anxiety-Inducing Performance Is That Of A Man On The Edge In Slow-Burn Thriller That Isn’t What It Seems

Sometimes a film will set the stage for what comes next and we learn to anticipate that predictability, which can be good or bad depending on how…