MOVIE NEWS – Osgood Perkins is back with another horror hit as The Monkey officially lands in theaters, earning its place as a certified fresh film on Rotten Tomatoes. With a solid 79% critics’ rating and a slightly lower 60% audience score, the movie has been well-received overall. Based on Stephen King’s short story of the same name, The Monkey follows twin brothers, Bill and Hal (played by Theo James), who, as children, discover a mysterious toy monkey that once belonged to their father. What seemed like a harmless childhood relic soon turns into a harbinger of terror, unleashing a string of gruesome and bizarre deaths that ultimately tear their family apart.

After discarding the cursed toy, the brothers go their separate ways, growing apart over the years. But 25 years later, the monkey resurfaces—and so does the bloodshed. Forced to confront the horror once more, Bill and Hal must figure out how to stop the carnage before it consumes them. Packed with brutal, often darkly comedic death scenes, The Monkey marks Perkins’ highly anticipated follow-up to last year’s breakout horror hit, Longlegs. While its reception has been similarly strong among both critics and audiences, The Monkey hasn’t quite reached the same level of box office dominance. However, that doesn’t mean it’s struggling—though it may not end up as the highest-grossing horror film of 2025, it’s shaping up to be a financial success nonetheless.

How Much Has The Monkey Made at the Box Office?

Despite debuting in second place, The Monkey has been performing solidly at the box office. The horror flick pulled in approximately $14 million domestically during its opening weekend—a respectable figure, especially considering the competition. Releasing alongside Captain America: Brave New World, the latest installment in the MCU, the film still managed to carve out a substantial audience. Distributed by NEON, The Monkey now holds the record for the company’s second-biggest opening weekend—just behind Longlegs, which premiered last year with $22 million in its debut.

With a modest budget of around $10 million, The Monkey is already proving to be another win for both Perkins and NEON. It might not match the total earnings of Longlegs, but it’s far from a flop. The film has already doubled its production budget, and as it heads into its second weekend, its earnings are expected to climb even higher. Thanks to positive word-of-mouth, horror fans may be more inclined to check it out, especially since there aren’t many other major horror releases on the horizon. That means The Monkey could continue to hold strong at the box office in the coming weeks.

What’s Next for Osgood Perkins?

Following back-to-back horror successes, audiences are eager to see what Osgood Perkins has in store next. Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until later this year for an answer. His upcoming film, Keeper, is set to release on October 3, 2025. This psychological horror film stars Tatiana Maslany and Rossif Sutherland as Liz and Malcolm, a couple who embark on a romantic anniversary getaway to a secluded cabin. However, when Malcolm unexpectedly leaves for the city, Liz finds herself alone—only to discover that something far more sinister lurks within the cabin’s walls.

While there’s no official trailer yet, an exclusive teaser was shown to audiences who stayed through the credits of The Monkey. Based on the teaser’s eerie tone, it appears Keeper will be far more terrifying than Perkins’ latest horror-comedy. Designed to capitalize on the Halloween horror rush, its fall release date couldn’t be more fitting. If Keeper is anything like his previous films, fans can expect another nightmarish experience.

With Longlegs and now The Monkey cementing Perkins as one of horror’s most exciting directors, his next film is already generating major buzz. As The Monkey continues to perform well at the box office, horror fans have plenty to look forward to in 2025. The Monkey is currently playing in theaters, and you can check out our full review here.

Source: MovieWeb