On Friday, “Haunted Mansion” premiered in theaters.
It’s a reboot of the classic film and is based on the Disneyland ride by the same name. The basic plot involves a single mom who moves into a home with her son and then brings in a motley crew to expel ghosts once she realized it’s haunted. Disney’s 2003 previous film has the same name and stars Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason.
Here’s a look at the box office and what critics had to say about the film.
‘Haunted Mansion’ box office
During its opening weekend, the comedic drama “Haunted Mansion” (PG-13) brought in $24 million in the domestic box office, per Box Office Mojo.
“With a $150 million production budget, “Haunted Mansion” is looking to be another disappointing chapter for Disney’s summer slate,” Variety reported.
“Barbie” (PG-13) and “Oppenheimer” (R) remained in the top and second slots for the box office over the weekend, according to The Los Angeles Times.
The opening weekend of the 2023 “The Haunted Mansion” came in around the same amount: $24.3 without adjusting for inflation, per Screen Rant.
It’s worth noting the 2003 version ended up doing well at the box office grossing $182 million, per Yahoo Entertainment.
The 2023 reboot has a star-studded cast with LaKeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson and Jared Leto, per IMDb.
“Not having the cast available definitely had an impact, especially with ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ attracting so much attention — they’re just behemoths,” Disney’s executive vice president of theatrical distribution Tony Chambers told The New York Times. Actors were unavailable to promote the film due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, which prohibits promotional activities like red carpet premieres and interviews.
Even though the film’s box office debut didn’t make it a smash hit, it’s possible it could pick up steam in the following weeks. It’s not unprecedented. “Hocus Pocus” debuted in fourth place on its opening at the box office, but later became a cult classic, per Deseret News.
What did critics say about ‘The Haunted Mansion?’
Even with a star-studded cast, critics haven’t scored “The Haunted Mansion” too well. On Rotten Tomatoes, there are 173 reviews with a score of 41%. The audience score rated the film higher at 85%.
Generally, critics thought the 2023 version was the better of the two movies.
“Haunted Mansion” is certainly an improvement on the 2003 version, but its weaknesses cannot be overlooked, starting with the fact that an exciting nine-minute ride has been stretched into an overlong 122 minutes that soon wear out their welcome,” Peter Travers wrote for ABC News.
Some critics praised the acting in the film. In the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Katie Walsh described Stanfield as having “an undeniable presence and sense of swagger on the screen.” Still, Walsh wrote that the film “elicits only yawns.”
Another film critic praised the film for its writing, cast and production design, but said the film wasn’t worth a theater trip. “‘Haunted Mansion’ is by no means a terrible movie, or even an unpleasant watch, but it’s just missing the magic that makes the trip to the theaters (or Disney World) worth it,” Lindsey Bahr wrote for The Associated Press.
Describing the film as “awfully vanilla when it comes both humor and scares,” Briant Truitt reviewed the film for USA Today and said the film had “a visually striking world that feels lived in.”
“While too often slapsticky and risk-averse with its fear factor, “Haunted Mansion” pulls off a pleasant and fantastical brush with the hereafter and is a good first horror movie for youngsters where a ghostly mummy won’t have them running for their mommy,” Truitt wrote for USA Today.
When will ‘Haunted Mansion’ be on Disney+?
The Disney+ release date hasn’t been announced yet, per Variety. It’s possible “Haunted Mansion” could follow the pattern of other Disney films and appear on Disney+ around 45 to 90 days after its theatrical release.
Is the new ‘Haunted Mansion’ movie scary?
“Haunted Mansion” was rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and scary action, per Deseret News. There are ghosts, supernatural violence, talk of death and peril. It also has comedic elements mixed in with the scary elements.