A24has produced some modern classics in the horror realm, and many of them have done incredibly well at the box office. Of the independent distributor’s top 5 highest-grossing movies of all time, two of them are horror films, includingHereditaryandTalk to Me. The studio helped make a budding horror auteur out of Ari Aster, whose second film,Midsommar, also remains an iconic part of both Aster and A24’s oeuvre.Last year’sHereticwas another winner, making over $58 million worldwide and bringing in positive reviews.
That being said,A24’s horror movieshave been on a rough streak in the past few months. For everyHereticsuccess story, there seem to be more examples of films likeThe Front RoomandY2K, which fail to connect both critically and at the box office. Earlier this month,A24 had another flop withOpus. The Ayo Edebiri-led horror comedy has made just $2.1 million worldwide at the time of writing, coming nowhere near its estimated $10 million budget.Opusalso got mixed reviews, managing only a 41% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, A24’s latest horror attempt is also struggling.
Death Of A Unicorn Did Not Have A Great Box Office Debut
It Lost Out To Blumhouse
A24’sDeath of a Unicornstruggled to beat out a Blumhouse horror movie in its opening weekend. The farcical horror film tells the story of a young woman named Ridley and her father, Elliot, who accidentally and unexpectedly hit a mystical (but bloodthirsty) unicorn with their car while on their way to a big pharma CEO’s wilderness retreat. While Ridley and Elliot attempt to cover their tracks, chaos ensues, making for a humorous and horrific ride.Death of a Unicorn’s cast is packed with stars, includingJenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, David Pasquesi, Richard E. Grant, and Will Poulter.
PerBox Office Mojo,Death of a Unicornhas struggled during its first weekend in theaters.The film made just $5.7 million at the box officethis weekend. While it did sneak into the box office top five, this total meant that the A24 horror film lost out to Blumhouse’sThe Woman in the Yard, which managed a $9.4 million debut.
What This Means For A24
They Need To Restore Their Horror Reputation
Death of a Unicorn’s opening weekend is not a good sign for A24, as the producer continues on a rough streak for horror. The group has another horror film on the release calendar in the coming months, putting outTalk to Medirectors Danny and Michael Philippou’sBring Her Backat the end of May. Hopefully, this film can connect with audiences more than eitherDeath of a UnicornorOpus, or else A24’s horror reputation is in a seriously precarious spot.
This box office history leads to an inconvenient truth for A24: while 2025 has been inconsistent, A24’s first two efforts have dragged down the group.
Horror is not the only way for A24 to recoverat the box office overall, however. Alex Garland’s war epicWarfareis one of the studio’s most imminent releases, coming on April 11. The director’s last film,Civil War, did incredibly well at the box office, making $127.3 million worldwide. This high total situated the movie as A24’s highest-grossing film in their entire catalog, surpassing even Best Picture winnerEverything Everywhere All At Once.Death of a Unicornmay not be the independent distributor’s path to success, but their overall 2025 box office story could soon change for the better.
How Death Of A Unicorn Fits Into The 2025 Box Office Story So Far
Horror Has Been Inconsistent (But A24 Is Still Underperforming)
WhileDeath of a Unicornmay be underperforming, it is doing so in a year that has been slow for horror so far. While two of the lackluster titles come from A24, tainting their reputation, even rival studio Blumhouse has had an early blunder. Despite being highly promoted, their studio’sWolf Manonly brought in $34.1 millionduring its January release. The film had a $25 million budget, so after the publicity costs are tacked on, it will likely have lost money.
10 Recurring Trademarks In A24 Horror Movies
Every new A24 horror movie is an exciting fresh experience, distinguishable for their bleak atmosphere and strong lead performances.
AI horror thrillerCompanion, which featured A24 alum Sophie Thatcher, did a lot better at the box office by comparison. While the movie made only slightly more thanWolf Man, taking home $36.7 million, its smaller budget (an estimated $10 million) meant that it likely turned a profit. These two contrasting titles createdan inconsistent start to the horror year for 2025, which was partially revived by the $32.9 million gross forHeart EyesandThe Monkey’s $63.9 million run.
This box office history leads to an inconvenient truth for A24: while 2025 has been up and down for horror, A24’s first two efforts have dragged down the group. This puts even more pressure on the upcoming filmBring Her Back, which by then will have other horror films to be compared to as well.A24needs the movie more than ever afterDeath of a Unicorn’s early performance struggle.
Death of a Unicorn
Cast
Death of a Unicorn: Released in 2025, this fantasy drama follows a father and daughter who accidentally kill a unicorn on their way to a weekend retreat. Their discovery leads to a series of events involving the father’s billionaire boss, who aims to exploit the unicorn’s extraordinary healing abilities.
