Alisha Weir and Kevin Durand in AbigailPhoto: Bernard Walsh (Universal Pictures)
Spoiler Space offers thoughts on, and a place to discuss, the plot points we can’t disclose in our official review. Fair warning: This article explains the ending of the movie Abigail.
We couldn’t spoil anything Abigail doesn’t spoil in its trailer,...
Spoiler Space offers thoughts on, and a place to discuss, the plot points we can’t disclose in our official review. Fair warning: This article explains the ending of the movie Abigail.
We couldn’t spoil anything Abigail doesn’t spoil in its trailer,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Matt Schimkowitz
- avclub.com
This past weekend was, without a doubt, one that several studios and pretty much every movie theater around the country (and much of the world for that matter) would like to forget. Several new releases hit theaters, including Guy Ritchie's "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," as well as Crunchroll's latest anime film, "Spy x Family Code: White." It was, however, Universal Pictures' horror/comedy "Abigail" that was the most high-profile release of the bunch. While the film did perform better than the other debuts, it fell well short of expectations and further cemented a point that has been quietly lingering for some time: Vampires are not generally good for business these days.
"Abigail" opened to just $10.2 million, coming in second place over the weekend to Alex Garland's "Civil War," which pulled in $11.1 million in its second frame. Overall, it was one of the worst weekends at the box office in 2024 to date.
"Abigail" opened to just $10.2 million, coming in second place over the weekend to Alex Garland's "Civil War," which pulled in $11.1 million in its second frame. Overall, it was one of the worst weekends at the box office in 2024 to date.
- 4/24/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Both extremely bloody cat-and-mouse chases through massive mansions, Radio Silence’s horror movies Ready or Not and Abigail (now playing in theaters!) are certainly cut from the same cloth, but do they actually take place within a shared universe? It was a question the filmmakers were asked, and their response suggests that the answer to that question is Yes.
Collider’s Perri Nemiroff asked the question of Radio Silence filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who co-directed both 2019’s Ready or Not and this year’s Abigail. As they point out, an Easter egg nestled within Abigail confirms a shared universe connection.
Bettinelli-Olpin tells Collider, “There is a portrait in the background of one of the scenes [in Abigail] of Henry Czerny’s [character from Ready or Not].” Gillet chimes in to clarify, “It would be a grandfather. A great, great, great, great grandfather [of Czerny’s character].”
Bettinelli-Olpin adds, “There is a little bit...
Collider’s Perri Nemiroff asked the question of Radio Silence filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who co-directed both 2019’s Ready or Not and this year’s Abigail. As they point out, an Easter egg nestled within Abigail confirms a shared universe connection.
Bettinelli-Olpin tells Collider, “There is a portrait in the background of one of the scenes [in Abigail] of Henry Czerny’s [character from Ready or Not].” Gillet chimes in to clarify, “It would be a grandfather. A great, great, great, great grandfather [of Czerny’s character].”
Bettinelli-Olpin adds, “There is a little bit...
- 4/23/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Spoilers for Abigail. Turn back now or consider yourself warned. Scream directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have delivered a fun, blood-filled horror comedy with Abigail, and the film concludes with a cameo which has people talking, particularly fans of a beloved historical drama series.
Related Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Kevin Durand teases his “narcissistic” villain Proximus Caesar
Abigail follows a group of would-be criminals who kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. All they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. The kidnappers are played by Melissa Barrera (Scream), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), William Catlett (Black Lightning), Kevin Durand (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes...
Related Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Kevin Durand teases his “narcissistic” villain Proximus Caesar
Abigail follows a group of would-be criminals who kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. All they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. The kidnappers are played by Melissa Barrera (Scream), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Kathryn Newton (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), William Catlett (Black Lightning), Kevin Durand (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes...
- 4/22/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Stars: Alisha Weir, Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito | Written by Stephen Shields, Guy Busick | Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
A ragtag crew of criminals and hackers is assembled by Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), working for someone he isn’t allowed to name. The crew’s job is to kidnap a young girl (Alisha Weir) and bring her to a seemingly abandoned house, watching her for 24 hours until her father pays up a ransom. What they don’t realize is they are way in over their heads — and nothing is as it seems.
In a year of commercially mid releases, horror films are having a field day. Already wiping the competition with movies including The First Omen and Immaculate, the genre has turned to child ballerina gone wrong in order to execute the early 2024 trifecta. Out of the three, Abigail is easily...
A ragtag crew of criminals and hackers is assembled by Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), working for someone he isn’t allowed to name. The crew’s job is to kidnap a young girl (Alisha Weir) and bring her to a seemingly abandoned house, watching her for 24 hours until her father pays up a ransom. What they don’t realize is they are way in over their heads — and nothing is as it seems.
In a year of commercially mid releases, horror films are having a field day. Already wiping the competition with movies including The First Omen and Immaculate, the genre has turned to child ballerina gone wrong in order to execute the early 2024 trifecta. Out of the three, Abigail is easily...
- 4/22/2024
- by Jasmine Valentine
- Nerdly
Monsters are everywhere! Godzilla and Kong are going at it once again (this time as a double act) and now Abigail has hit screens, a movie about a heist gone wrong where the loot is an adorable 12-year-old ballerina. Starring Dan Stevens, Melissa Barrera and Kathryn Newton and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett aka Radio Silence, who made the raucous Ready Or Not (as well as the most recent Scream movies), it’s a gore-soaked genre love letter that at one point had ties to the Universal Monsters canon.
Without Abigail spoilers, that’s not entirely evident in the finished product, which is nonetheless an absolute blast but it feels like a good time to celebrate the rich history of these creature features. After all, they aren’t going away anytime soon. From Leigh Whannell’s excellent take on The Invisible Man in 2020 to Zelda Williams and Diablo Cody’s Liza Frankenstein,...
Without Abigail spoilers, that’s not entirely evident in the finished product, which is nonetheless an absolute blast but it feels like a good time to celebrate the rich history of these creature features. After all, they aren’t going away anytime soon. From Leigh Whannell’s excellent take on The Invisible Man in 2020 to Zelda Williams and Diablo Cody’s Liza Frankenstein,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Alisha Weir was stunned by the amount of blood involved in 'Abigail'.The 14-year-old star plays the titular role in the vampire movie and explained that she was taken aback by the deluge of claret that was spilled during the making of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's film.Speaking to Collider, Alisha said: "I think what surprised me most was, I mean, the obvious one was how much blood there was. Reading the script, you don't know how much blood there's going to be because it doesn't tell you on the script."So getting to be on the sets, I think the sets definitely surprised me, too. Everything, even in the big house that you see at the start, it was all set, like the decorations and everything, everything was so detailed, and it was amazing to see that."But I think the main one would be how much blood there was.
- 4/22/2024
- by Joe Graber
- Bang Showbiz
Worldwide box office April 19-21 Rank Film (distributor) 3-day (world) Cume (world) 3-day (int’l) Cume (int’l) Territories 1. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros) $31.1m $485.2m $21.6m $313.6m 78 2. Civil War (A24) $21.4m $61.7m $10.3m $16.8m 40 3. Kung Fu Panda 4 (Universal) $19.9m $480.3m $15.3m $300.3m 83 4. Abigail (Universal) $15.2m $15.2m $5m $5m 63 5. Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram (Toho) $11.9m $42.5m $11.9m $42.5m 1 6. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) $11.1m $176.1m $6.7m $73.2m 60 7. The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate) $9.8m $9.8m $767,300 $778,000 13 8. Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros) $7.1m $695.8m $4.2m $419.2m 75 9. Back To Black (Focus Features) $6.4m $16.9m $6.4m $16.9m 105 10. Spy...
- 4/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
If you are a horror fan then you might have heard about the director duo of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who gave us brilliant horror films like 2022’s Scream and 2019’s Ready or Not and now they are back with their new and even campier horror film Abigail. Written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, the new horror film is a reimagining of the 1936 Universal Classic Monsters film Dracula’s Daughter and it follows the story of a group of kidnappers who are told to kidnap the daughter of a very powerful man and keep her in the house for 24 hours, but they quickly realize that the daughter might not be what she seems. Abigail stars Alisha Weir, Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Will Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito, and Matthew Goode. So, if you loved the horror, survival, and gory elements of Abigail here are some...
- 4/21/2024
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Things had been going so well at the box office over the past few weeks, so it was disappointing that none of the week’s three new wide releases made much of an impact. Read on for the weekend box office report.
Although Universal’s vampire thriller “Abigail,” directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka “Radio Silence”), had the best hopes of breaking out due to its cool horror premise and ensemble cast, Alex Garland‘s future shock thriller “Civil War,” starring Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura, was able to hold onto first place with $11.1 million, a drop of 57% from its record-setting opening for A24. The movie has grossed $44.9 million domestically so far, which already puts it in the top 10 all-time grossers for the studio after just 10 days.
Although horror tends to do quite well with younger moviegoers, “Abigail” and its cast, which includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton,...
Although Universal’s vampire thriller “Abigail,” directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka “Radio Silence”), had the best hopes of breaking out due to its cool horror premise and ensemble cast, Alex Garland‘s future shock thriller “Civil War,” starring Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura, was able to hold onto first place with $11.1 million, a drop of 57% from its record-setting opening for A24. The movie has grossed $44.9 million domestically so far, which already puts it in the top 10 all-time grossers for the studio after just 10 days.
Although horror tends to do quite well with younger moviegoers, “Abigail” and its cast, which includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton,...
- 4/21/2024
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
Alex Garland’s dystopian political action film Civil War about an America torn apart triumphed over new vampire pic Abigail at the weekend box office.
Civil War held in well to stay No. 1 in its second weekend with $11 million for a healthy domestic total of $45 million for indie studio A24. The film has succeeded in uniting both blue states and red states.
Heading into the weekend, Universal’s Abigail was expected to take a bigger bite out of Civil War but instead opened to $10.2 million. That’s still a respectable number for a studio film that cost a modest $28 million to make before marketing.
Horror often struggles overseas, where Abigail only took in $5 million from 62 markets for a global start of $15.2 million,
Abigail is from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing duo known as Radio Silence who were behind the reboot of the Scream franchise and the horror hit Ready or Not.
Civil War held in well to stay No. 1 in its second weekend with $11 million for a healthy domestic total of $45 million for indie studio A24. The film has succeeded in uniting both blue states and red states.
Heading into the weekend, Universal’s Abigail was expected to take a bigger bite out of Civil War but instead opened to $10.2 million. That’s still a respectable number for a studio film that cost a modest $28 million to make before marketing.
Horror often struggles overseas, where Abigail only took in $5 million from 62 markets for a global start of $15.2 million,
Abigail is from Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing duo known as Radio Silence who were behind the reboot of the Scream franchise and the horror hit Ready or Not.
- 4/21/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A24’s dystopian thriller “Civil War” conquered the box office again, fending off three new releases to retain the top spot on North American charts.
Alex Garland’s film, starring Kirsten Dunst as a photojournalist who traverses a violently divided United States, added $11.12 million in its second weekend of release. It has generated $44.8 million so far and already stands as one of A24’s top five highest-grossing movies of all time. With a $50 million price tag, it’s also the indie distributor’s most expensive film to date.
Though it was a close race, “Civil War” charged ahead of a trio of newcomers — Universal’s vampire horror film “Abigail,” director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Sony and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White” — which all opened to mixed results.
Heading into the weekend, “Abigail” was predicted to top the box office with $12 million to $15 million in its debut.
Alex Garland’s film, starring Kirsten Dunst as a photojournalist who traverses a violently divided United States, added $11.12 million in its second weekend of release. It has generated $44.8 million so far and already stands as one of A24’s top five highest-grossing movies of all time. With a $50 million price tag, it’s also the indie distributor’s most expensive film to date.
Though it was a close race, “Civil War” charged ahead of a trio of newcomers — Universal’s vampire horror film “Abigail,” director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Sony and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White” — which all opened to mixed results.
Heading into the weekend, “Abigail” was predicted to top the box office with $12 million to $15 million in its debut.
- 4/21/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Ballerinas might look delicate, but there's a lot of strength behind those dance moves -- especially if the ballerina happens to be a vampire. "Abigail," the new horror flick from "Ready or Not" directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, stars Alisha Weir ("Matilda the Musical") as a tiny dancer who turns on the criminal crew who were hired to kidnap her for ransom. Being an extremely gory cat-and-mouse game set in a grand mansion, "Abigail" shares a lot of DNA with "Ready or Not," and it's off to an even better start at the box office.
Variety reports that "Abigail" grossed $4 million on its opening day, including $1 million from Thursday night previews, and it's expected to make at least $10 million over its opening weekend. That's slightly behind earlier projections of a $12-15 million debut, but ahead of the $8 million that "Ready or Not" made over its first weekend. With Alex Garland...
Variety reports that "Abigail" grossed $4 million on its opening day, including $1 million from Thursday night previews, and it's expected to make at least $10 million over its opening weekend. That's slightly behind earlier projections of a $12-15 million debut, but ahead of the $8 million that "Ready or Not" made over its first weekend. With Alex Garland...
- 4/20/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Spoiler Alert: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending, of “Abigail,” currently playing in theaters.
The vampire thriller “Abigail” originated as a modern-day update of the classic horror film “Dracula’s Daughter.” But by the time the filmmaking trio Radio Silence — producer Chad Villella and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — began production on “Abigail” in Ireland in the spring of 2023, the movie had virtually no connection to the 1936 Universal picture.
“Dracula’s Daughter” follows the grown Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) as she tries — and fails — to rid herself of her vampirism following Dracula’s death. In “Abigail,” by sharp contrast, the titular vampire is a girl, kidnapped by a team of mercenaries — led by the hot-headed Frank (Dan Stevens) and self-possessed Joey (Melissa Barrera) — under the false impression that she’s the helpless daughter of a tycoon who will pay their ransom to get her back. Eventually, Abigail...
The vampire thriller “Abigail” originated as a modern-day update of the classic horror film “Dracula’s Daughter.” But by the time the filmmaking trio Radio Silence — producer Chad Villella and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — began production on “Abigail” in Ireland in the spring of 2023, the movie had virtually no connection to the 1936 Universal picture.
“Dracula’s Daughter” follows the grown Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) as she tries — and fails — to rid herself of her vampirism following Dracula’s death. In “Abigail,” by sharp contrast, the titular vampire is a girl, kidnapped by a team of mercenaries — led by the hot-headed Frank (Dan Stevens) and self-possessed Joey (Melissa Barrera) — under the false impression that she’s the helpless daughter of a tycoon who will pay their ransom to get her back. Eventually, Abigail...
- 4/20/2024
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
This article contains massive spoilers for "Abigail."
"Abigail" features a group of six mercenaries holding the eponymous girl (Alisha Weir) hostage in a manor. Who's really in the mousetrap here, though?
The trailer gave it all away, but Abigail is a vampire and has brought this group of six together for a feast — one they won't be leaving. It's like the inversion of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's previous mansion survival thriller, "Ready or Not." In that one, Grace (Samara Weaving), recently married into the wealthy Le Domas family, has to dodge her new in-laws as they play the most dangerous game. In "Abigail," a single, seemingly fragile girl hunts a group of people.
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett previously directed "Scream" V and VI (Barrera starred in those movies before she was fired from "Scream" VII for pro-Palestine posts); "Abigail" inherits the meta-horror touch of "Scream." When the characters find out what Abigail is,...
"Abigail" features a group of six mercenaries holding the eponymous girl (Alisha Weir) hostage in a manor. Who's really in the mousetrap here, though?
The trailer gave it all away, but Abigail is a vampire and has brought this group of six together for a feast — one they won't be leaving. It's like the inversion of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's previous mansion survival thriller, "Ready or Not." In that one, Grace (Samara Weaving), recently married into the wealthy Le Domas family, has to dodge her new in-laws as they play the most dangerous game. In "Abigail," a single, seemingly fragile girl hunts a group of people.
Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett previously directed "Scream" V and VI (Barrera starred in those movies before she was fired from "Scream" VII for pro-Palestine posts); "Abigail" inherits the meta-horror touch of "Scream." When the characters find out what Abigail is,...
- 4/20/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
I like heists. I like vampires. And well, I guess I also dig ballet now, too. Enter Abigail, who pirouettes into theaters, eager and armed to deliver on all three. From the clapboard of Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett—creators of modern horror staples like Ready or Not and the latest Scream installments—comes this zany tale that stitches crime caper with monster madness in a wholly original fabric. It’s a bold new take on the vampire genre, delivering blood-soaked violence and maximum horror hijinks for a dangerously delightful trip to the movies.
“…a bold new take on the vampire genre, delivering blood-soaked violence and maximum horror hijinks for a dangerously delightful trip to the movies. “
The setup is spooky, simple, and perfectly kooky: a ragtag gang of crooks plans the ultimate score—kidnapping a 12-year-old ballerina, Abigail, for a $50 million ransom from her nefarious father.
“…a bold new take on the vampire genre, delivering blood-soaked violence and maximum horror hijinks for a dangerously delightful trip to the movies. “
The setup is spooky, simple, and perfectly kooky: a ragtag gang of crooks plans the ultimate score—kidnapping a 12-year-old ballerina, Abigail, for a $50 million ransom from her nefarious father.
- 4/20/2024
- by Kimberley Elizabeth
Set almost 300 years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will introduce an entirely new world of characters, including Proximus Caesar, the latest villain of the long-running franchise.
Kevin Durand, who plays Proximus Caesar, spoke with GamesRadar about his character, and while he admits that “he’s the baddie,” he doesn’t want to describe him as an out-right villain. “It’s coming down to, you know, homosapiens or apes and obviously he’s on the side of the apes, so he’s willing to do whatever needs to happen, by any means necessary, to ensure a future for apekind,” Durand said. “From the perspective of the narrative, he’s definitely the baddie but yeah, when you watch the movie, you’re like, ‘Well, was he really that bad?’ I mean, he’s definitely narcissistic, but, you know, he...
Kevin Durand, who plays Proximus Caesar, spoke with GamesRadar about his character, and while he admits that “he’s the baddie,” he doesn’t want to describe him as an out-right villain. “It’s coming down to, you know, homosapiens or apes and obviously he’s on the side of the apes, so he’s willing to do whatever needs to happen, by any means necessary, to ensure a future for apekind,” Durand said. “From the perspective of the narrative, he’s definitely the baddie but yeah, when you watch the movie, you’re like, ‘Well, was he really that bad?’ I mean, he’s definitely narcissistic, but, you know, he...
- 4/19/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Just as audiences may have finally finished cleaning off the blood splatter from Ready or Not and the two most recent Scream films, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have returned to the big screen with Abigail. And staying true to what horror fans have come to expect from their previous efforts, Abigail is a high-octane, high-energy horror film that pulls no punches or fangs, making for another scary good time at the cinema.
After kidnapping a 12-year-old ballerina (Alisha Weir) from her wealthy father’s estate, a group of mysterious criminals heads to a secluded safehouse for the night. Intentionally anonymous to each other and hired by the enigmatic Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), the kidnappers are each given an alias based on members of the Rat Pack: there’s former Army medic Joey (Melissa Barrera), the temperamental Frank (Dan Stevens), the tech-savvy Sammy (Kathryn Newton), the wheelman Dean (Angus Cloud...
After kidnapping a 12-year-old ballerina (Alisha Weir) from her wealthy father’s estate, a group of mysterious criminals heads to a secluded safehouse for the night. Intentionally anonymous to each other and hired by the enigmatic Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), the kidnappers are each given an alias based on members of the Rat Pack: there’s former Army medic Joey (Melissa Barrera), the temperamental Frank (Dan Stevens), the tech-savvy Sammy (Kathryn Newton), the wheelman Dean (Angus Cloud...
- 4/19/2024
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
[Editor’s note: The following interview contains major spoilers for the ending of “Abigail.”]
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s latest horror outing, “Abigail,” comes with plenty of surprises — pint-sized ballerina vampires, double crosses galore, and a lot of exploding bodies — but the biggest of all might be its somewhat happy ending.
A modern spin on the classic “Dracula’s Daughter,” the film follows a group of rag-tag criminals who are tasked with kidnapping (and holding overnight) the young daughter of a local criminal mastermind. Too bad for them that their charge, played by Alisha Weir, isn’t a normal little girl: she’s also a vicious vampire who is (understandably) quite pissed off about her abduction.
By the time the film wraps up, Abigail has chomped her way through most of the crew, offing each of them in surprising (and splashy!) ways. Except for Barrera’s Joey, who has served as something of a protector to the youngster throughout the film. After the dust (blood?...
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s latest horror outing, “Abigail,” comes with plenty of surprises — pint-sized ballerina vampires, double crosses galore, and a lot of exploding bodies — but the biggest of all might be its somewhat happy ending.
A modern spin on the classic “Dracula’s Daughter,” the film follows a group of rag-tag criminals who are tasked with kidnapping (and holding overnight) the young daughter of a local criminal mastermind. Too bad for them that their charge, played by Alisha Weir, isn’t a normal little girl: she’s also a vicious vampire who is (understandably) quite pissed off about her abduction.
By the time the film wraps up, Abigail has chomped her way through most of the crew, offing each of them in surprising (and splashy!) ways. Except for Barrera’s Joey, who has served as something of a protector to the youngster throughout the film. After the dust (blood?...
- 4/19/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Update: As we enter the weekend, Radio Silence’s Abigail is duking it out for the #1 box office spot with Alex Garland’s Civil War, with both films currently projected to take $11M+ this weekend. Who will walk away with the #1 spot? We’ll soon find out.
Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare will likely take the #3 spot, with the WWII period action film expected to take in somewhere between $9M-$11M. Taking the #4 spot, we’ve got Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which will finish its fourth weekend at the box office with $8.5M, bringing its domestic total to $170.66M.
— Original article follows —
Radio Silence’s Abigail is pirouetting atop the Thursday box office by taking a bite out of $1M in tickets sold. Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare earned $1.45M, which includes nearly $600K in advanced screenings from last weekend. Meanwhile, Spy...
Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare will likely take the #3 spot, with the WWII period action film expected to take in somewhere between $9M-$11M. Taking the #4 spot, we’ve got Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which will finish its fourth weekend at the box office with $8.5M, bringing its domestic total to $170.66M.
— Original article follows —
Radio Silence’s Abigail is pirouetting atop the Thursday box office by taking a bite out of $1M in tickets sold. Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare earned $1.45M, which includes nearly $600K in advanced screenings from last weekend. Meanwhile, Spy...
- 4/19/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Although many horror films may telegraph their intentions in explicit detail, there are often films in the genre that seek to weave in and out of the genre’s confines to create a sort of hybrid film that straddles multiple genres. Not many do so successfully. The film Abigail, however, is one of the rare ones that does, thanks to some solid direction and two distinctive lead performances.
The caper begins innocently enough as a cadre of criminals execute the kidnapping of the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of an underworld gangster. Upon delivery of the girl to an isolated mansion, they are told they must keep an eye on the girl overnight to collect their $50 million payout. This seems simple enough, that is, until they discover what they are holding captive is no ordinary little girl.
The directing pair of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – who previously helmed the reboot of...
The caper begins innocently enough as a cadre of criminals execute the kidnapping of the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of an underworld gangster. Upon delivery of the girl to an isolated mansion, they are told they must keep an eye on the girl overnight to collect their $50 million payout. This seems simple enough, that is, until they discover what they are holding captive is no ordinary little girl.
The directing pair of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – who previously helmed the reboot of...
- 4/19/2024
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Radio Silence Talk ‘Abigail,’ Their ‘Scream’ Exit and Trying to Make ‘The Shining’ Elevators Jealous
Abigail has been a long time coming for Radio Silence, the filmmaking collective consisting of co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin/Tyler Gillett and producer Chad Villella.
Coming off of their successful relaunch of the Scream franchise in 2022, the team strived to make another film before they returned to Ghostface. One idea was a feature now known as Abigail, but they ultimately ended up shooting Scream VI instead, as Scream rights holder Spyglass Media was eager to keep the momentum going. And together, they did just that, as Scream VI went on to set domestic box office records for the franchise.
Still, Abigail never left Radio Silence’s minds. As they were making Scream VI, the team was also preparing to do the ballerina vampire pic immediately after they finished promoting Scream VI’s March 2023 release. After all, they’d just put out two Scream movies within a 14-month period, so it’s...
Coming off of their successful relaunch of the Scream franchise in 2022, the team strived to make another film before they returned to Ghostface. One idea was a feature now known as Abigail, but they ultimately ended up shooting Scream VI instead, as Scream rights holder Spyglass Media was eager to keep the momentum going. And together, they did just that, as Scream VI went on to set domestic box office records for the franchise.
Still, Abigail never left Radio Silence’s minds. As they were making Scream VI, the team was also preparing to do the ballerina vampire pic immediately after they finished promoting Scream VI’s March 2023 release. After all, they’d just put out two Scream movies within a 14-month period, so it’s...
- 4/19/2024
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Vampire films in the past decade or so have been hit or miss. With every Renfield, you have something
subpar sent straight to VOD. Lately, Universal Pictures has been killing it by dipping their toes back into their vampire lore with the above-mentioned Renfield and last summer’s The Last Voyage of the
Demeter.
As fun as those films were, Universal’s latest release, Abigail, is something on another level.
Recently, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Matt Betinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s latest film.
I also had the joy of speaking with the cast, including a paired-up Melissa Barerra and Alisha Weir (who
were a power force together in both film and on-screen), Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William
Catlett, and Kevin Durand. Frankly, I’m expecting to see major things for young Ms. Weir. Her performance here is incredible.
We discussed the film, which our own Michael Conway raved about,...
subpar sent straight to VOD. Lately, Universal Pictures has been killing it by dipping their toes back into their vampire lore with the above-mentioned Renfield and last summer’s The Last Voyage of the
Demeter.
As fun as those films were, Universal’s latest release, Abigail, is something on another level.
Recently, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Matt Betinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s latest film.
I also had the joy of speaking with the cast, including a paired-up Melissa Barerra and Alisha Weir (who
were a power force together in both film and on-screen), Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William
Catlett, and Kevin Durand. Frankly, I’m expecting to see major things for young Ms. Weir. Her performance here is incredible.
We discussed the film, which our own Michael Conway raved about,...
- 4/19/2024
- by JimmyO
- JoBlo.com
Stop me if you think that you’ve heard this one before: Some criminals abduct a rich guy’s child and demand a hefty sum to give the youngster back. The “victim” then proceeds to make life hell for the kidnappers. It’s more or less the plot of The Ransom of Red Chief, arguably O. Henry’s best-known work. And like a lot of people who’ve read this enduring staple of school-reading curricula over the decades, you probably got to the final paragraph (“And as dark as it was,...
- 4/19/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Spring has been filled with scares, like Sydney Sweeney’s “Immaculate,” the “Omen” prequel “First Omen” and the talk-show thriller “Late Night With the Devil” in recent weeks. Now the vampiric “Abigail,” from the directors of the last two “Scream” movies, is sinking its teeth into the box office with $1 million in previews so far.
“Abigail” is expected to make between $12 million to $15 million in its opening weekend, edging out last week’s champion, A24’s “Civil War.” Universal’s R-rated horror only cost $28 million, so as long as the first weekend hits the higher end of estimates, it should have no issues making a profit by the end of its theatrical run.
Starring a young vampire ballerina, who is the daughter of one Count Dracula, “Abigail” follows a group of criminals who get way in over the heads after kidnapping the girl. Their $50 million heist goes south when they...
“Abigail” is expected to make between $12 million to $15 million in its opening weekend, edging out last week’s champion, A24’s “Civil War.” Universal’s R-rated horror only cost $28 million, so as long as the first weekend hits the higher end of estimates, it should have no issues making a profit by the end of its theatrical run.
Starring a young vampire ballerina, who is the daughter of one Count Dracula, “Abigail” follows a group of criminals who get way in over the heads after kidnapping the girl. Their $50 million heist goes south when they...
- 4/19/2024
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Alisha Weir, Kathryn Newton in AbigailImage: Universal Pictures
Like some unholy fusion of Resident Evil and Dance Moms, Abigail dares suggest that the only thing scarier than a haunted house is one that’s also occupied by a pissed-off tween ballerina with an emotionally absent, narcissistic parent. It’s not wrong,...
Like some unholy fusion of Resident Evil and Dance Moms, Abigail dares suggest that the only thing scarier than a haunted house is one that’s also occupied by a pissed-off tween ballerina with an emotionally absent, narcissistic parent. It’s not wrong,...
- 4/19/2024
- by Luke Y. Thompson
- avclub.com
Universal’s vampire horror Abigail is aiming to take a bite out of the box office this weekend, as it opens in 545 sites in the UK and Ireland for Universal – the widest new opener of the weekend.
The film follows a kidnapping that goes outrageously awry. It shot in Ireland and is directed by US filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – the team behind Scream and Scream VI. The cast includes Matilda The Musical’s Alisha Weir in the titular role, alongside Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens. Production companies are Project X Entertainment, Vinson Films and Radio Silence.
It’s...
The film follows a kidnapping that goes outrageously awry. It shot in Ireland and is directed by US filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett – the team behind Scream and Scream VI. The cast includes Matilda The Musical’s Alisha Weir in the titular role, alongside Melissa Barrera and Dan Stevens. Production companies are Project X Entertainment, Vinson Films and Radio Silence.
It’s...
- 4/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Alisha Weir as Abigail in Abigail, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett. Photo Credit: Bernard Walsh/Universal Pictures. Copyright© 2024 Universal Studios Abigail’s terrifying secret is out! A group of criminals snatches the daughter of a shadowy underworld kingpin, demanding a hefty ransom. But their isolated hideout becomes a house of horrors when they discover their captive is not who they thought – she’s a vampire, turning the tables on her captors. Imagine playing a kidnap victim…who’s also a bloodthirsty vampire. That’s the chilling challenge 14-year-old Alisha Weir faced in the new horror flick, Abigail. While Weir’s rising star is already shining bright (most notably in Matilda: The Musical), she admits her role in Abigail was unlike anything she’s encountered. (click on the media bar below to hear Alisha Weir) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Alisha_-Weir_Abigail_Transforming_in-to_Vampire_.mp3 Abigail is now playing in theaters.
- 4/19/2024
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
An old saying goes that “You can’t keep a good man down”. Well, despite the meager box office returns for last year’s big Dracula flicks, Renfield, and The Last Voyage Of The Demeter, this weekend’s new monster movie believes that “You can’t keep a good vampire down”. Really, they just keep popping up, just check out those Christopher Lee Hammer Film classics. Ha, “down for the Count”…and enough of the “groaners”. Although this new flick’s working title was “Dracula’s Daughter”, this chiller isn’t officially connected to the Bram Stoker creation. For one thing, it’s set in today’s world, so a speedy beaten van replaces the horse-drawn carriages. Oh, and it’s got elements of a crime thriller. This tale concerns a “snatch and grab” crew who get more than they bargained for when their target is Abigail.
The film’s opening...
The film’s opening...
- 4/19/2024
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
One could be forgiven for thinking they’d wandered into the wrong theater when Abigail begins. A group of bumbling fools manage to pull it together long enough to follow a child ballerina, Abigail (Alisha Weir), back to her father’s estate, snatch her from her bed, and make a slick getaway back to their cool, calm, collected employer, Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito). In exchange for $7 million apiece, all they need to do is babysit the frightened Abigail in a different estate until Lambert negotiates with her father for a ransom. It sounds like easy money until Abigail, who seems like she’s forging a makeshift bond with one of her kidnappers, blurts out through tears, “I’m sorry for everything that’s going to happen to you.”
Right around then is when the rollercoaster that is Abigail starts its delirious, grisly descent into hell. That is, when it becomes abundantly...
Right around then is when the rollercoaster that is Abigail starts its delirious, grisly descent into hell. That is, when it becomes abundantly...
- 4/18/2024
- by Justin Clark
- Slant Magazine
Melissa Barrera may have been fired from the “Scream” series, but she’s still very much a part of the franchise’s “family.”
Several “Scream” actors, including Mason Gooding, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich, attended the Los Angeles premiere of Barrera’s new horror movie, “Abigail” Wednesday night. “Abigail” is helmed by “Scream” (2022) and “Scream 6” co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known collectively as Radio Silence.
“Even after the project is over, we still have our chat,” Barrera told me. “They were all invited here and a lot of them from ‘Scream’ came and I think it says a lot. It says a lot about how true the love is. No one can ever take that away from us.”
David Arquette at the Los Angeles premiere of “Abigail”
Her “Scream 7” role fell apart in November when star Barrera was fired by Spyglass, the film’s producer,...
Several “Scream” actors, including Mason Gooding, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard and Skeet Ulrich, attended the Los Angeles premiere of Barrera’s new horror movie, “Abigail” Wednesday night. “Abigail” is helmed by “Scream” (2022) and “Scream 6” co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, known collectively as Radio Silence.
“Even after the project is over, we still have our chat,” Barrera told me. “They were all invited here and a lot of them from ‘Scream’ came and I think it says a lot. It says a lot about how true the love is. No one can ever take that away from us.”
David Arquette at the Los Angeles premiere of “Abigail”
Her “Scream 7” role fell apart in November when star Barrera was fired by Spyglass, the film’s producer,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Universal has struggled to in recent years to bring back its classic horror franchises like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mummy, etc., attempts that were perhaps too literal. But thanks to the filmmaking collective known as Radio Silence they have, with Abigail, perhaps stumbled onto a way to keep the party going. In this case it is back to the immortal vampire story to end them all, Dracula, but here the bloodsucking title star is his 12-year-old daughter, not the infamous man himself who is reduced to a mere cameo.
Last year the studio tried a variation on the tale with Renfield, which starred Nicholas Hoult as the sidekick to Nicolas Cage’s campy take on the legend but lost its way. I am happy to report that using a blend of a heist flick married to ghoulish and grand over-the-top supernatural bloodletting does the trick in Abigail, a movie...
Last year the studio tried a variation on the tale with Renfield, which starred Nicholas Hoult as the sidekick to Nicolas Cage’s campy take on the legend but lost its way. I am happy to report that using a blend of a heist flick married to ghoulish and grand over-the-top supernatural bloodletting does the trick in Abigail, a movie...
- 4/18/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
It's a juggling act to get an entertaining horror film - one that's fun, funny, yet still scary, with a good share of violence and gore, a decent story with snappy dialogue, and a monster that an audience can root for, maybe more than the heros. Radio Silence - directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, and producer Chad Villella - have been (mostly) pulling this off, with a particular formula that has worked with slasher and pseudo-slasher films such as Ready or Not and Scream (2022). If it isn't broken, don't fix it, and hence we have Abigail. A solid piece of horror action comedy, a story that moves from crime caper to pseudo-slasher with an engaging monster, it's not without its flaws, but it's...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/18/2024
- Screen Anarchy
For a significant portion of its running time, the new film from the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (better known as Radio Silence) plays like a hard-boiled crime drama. In its opening scenes, we see a rag-tag team of criminals prepare for and then commit the kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl. First seen dancing ballet by herself in an empty theater, she obviously comes from wealth, getting into a chauffeured limousine after her exertions. The kidnappers, who’ve dubbed her “Tiny Dancer,” manage to snatch her away and bring her to a secluded mansion, where they’re greeted by their mysterious organizer (Giancarlo Esposito), who gives them fake names inspired by the members of the Rat Pack (Frank, Joey, Dean, etc.). So far, so Quentin Tarantino.
That the mansion seems to come from a ‘30s-era Universal horror film, complete with suits of armor and numerous examples of frightening taxidermy,...
That the mansion seems to come from a ‘30s-era Universal horror film, complete with suits of armor and numerous examples of frightening taxidermy,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To celebrate the hugely anticipated release of Abigail, which arrives in cinemas this week, we had the pleasure of chatting with some of the cast to find out more about this brilliant new spin on a classic tale. Read our glowing review here.
After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. A brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick from Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Chatting to Abigail herself Alisha Weird, Melissa Barrera (Joey), Kevin Durand (Peter), and William Catlett (Rickles), we talk all things horror, the real monsters at the heart of the film,...
After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. A brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick from Radio Silence—the directing team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.
Chatting to Abigail herself Alisha Weird, Melissa Barrera (Joey), Kevin Durand (Peter), and William Catlett (Rickles), we talk all things horror, the real monsters at the heart of the film,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Scott Davis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
A group of petty criminals are hired to kidnap the daughter of a powerful crime boss in return for a substantial ransom. On paper, the premise of the latest film from Ready or Not and Scream VI co-directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett sounds like your average semi-comedic heist caper. However, what starts as a straightforward kidnapping plot quickly spirals into a blood-soaked nightmare when the hapless criminals realise their victim, 12-year-old Abigail (Matilda star Alisha Weir), is no ordinary girl, but something altogether more sinister.
From the moment we are introduced to the eclectic band of kidnappers, each with their own quirks and flaws, the stage is set for a wild and unpredictable ride in one of the most inventive horror flicks of the year. Led by the cynical Frank (Dan Stevens in scenery chewing mode once again) and the edgy Joey, the crew navigate a maze of suspense...
From the moment we are introduced to the eclectic band of kidnappers, each with their own quirks and flaws, the stage is set for a wild and unpredictable ride in one of the most inventive horror flicks of the year. Led by the cynical Frank (Dan Stevens in scenery chewing mode once again) and the edgy Joey, the crew navigate a maze of suspense...
- 4/18/2024
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Abigail releases April 19th, 2024.
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett had one of the surprise hits of 2019 with their horror-comedy-action-thriller romp Ready or Not. It was a hit with critics and audiences alike, leading it to become yet another horror money-maker at the box office. It featured creative action, no shortage of gore, plenty of laughs, and a fully committed cast. I’m not the biggest horror fan, but horror movies like this reel me in every time. The trailers for Abigail, the pair’s latest horror-action-comedy promised more of the same, giving off serious “spiritual sequel” energy. So how does this new release stack up?
The cast of Abigail (2024) Abigail Plot
Taking inspiration from the 1936 film Dracula’s Daughter, Abigail kicks off with a criminal crew kidnapping the eponymous Abigail from her home after returning from ballet practice. The plan is simple enough: hold her captive until her insanely wealthy...
Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett had one of the surprise hits of 2019 with their horror-comedy-action-thriller romp Ready or Not. It was a hit with critics and audiences alike, leading it to become yet another horror money-maker at the box office. It featured creative action, no shortage of gore, plenty of laughs, and a fully committed cast. I’m not the biggest horror fan, but horror movies like this reel me in every time. The trailers for Abigail, the pair’s latest horror-action-comedy promised more of the same, giving off serious “spiritual sequel” energy. So how does this new release stack up?
The cast of Abigail (2024) Abigail Plot
Taking inspiration from the 1936 film Dracula’s Daughter, Abigail kicks off with a criminal crew kidnapping the eponymous Abigail from her home after returning from ballet practice. The plan is simple enough: hold her captive until her insanely wealthy...
- 4/18/2024
- by Matt Hambidge
- FandomWire
There’s a funny little citation on multi-hyphenate Melissa Barrera’s Wikipedia page. About halfway down the section entitled “acting,” we’re told that “following her roles in horror media in 2022, Barrera was crowned a scream queen.” There was not an actual coronation for this honor, but it’s hard to argue with. After starring in two “Scream” movies, the Tubi chiller “Bed Rest,” and this week’s new release “Abigail” (a biting spin on the classic “Dracula’s Daughter”), the Mexican starlet is a bonafide scream queen, even if she was never quite expecting the honor.
For Barrera, who got her start on telenovelas and was introduced to most American audiences through the big screen musical “In the Heights,” it’s another step in a career that just keeps evolving in some surprising ways. No, Barrera told IndieWire with laugh, she didn’t set out to be “scream queen,” but she loves it.
For Barrera, who got her start on telenovelas and was introduced to most American audiences through the big screen musical “In the Heights,” it’s another step in a career that just keeps evolving in some surprising ways. No, Barrera told IndieWire with laugh, she didn’t set out to be “scream queen,” but she loves it.
- 4/18/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Radio Silence follow up Ready Or Not and two Scream films with the bloody and very 18-rated Abigail. Here’s our review.
It was only after walking out of a screening of Abigail that I appreciated just how much of it had been let out of the bag via its promotion. Not the ending or anything, but more the way the film turns from being the kidnap heist thriller it starts off as into, well, something else. I mention this not by way of criticism, but more to explain why this review isn’t going anywhere near stuff even shown in the trailer. I saw this cold and had an absolute blast. I can’t give you an honest reading as to how I’d feel had I known what was around the corner.
Still. I’m hardly playing surprises to suggest that there’s a horror tinge to this,...
It was only after walking out of a screening of Abigail that I appreciated just how much of it had been let out of the bag via its promotion. Not the ending or anything, but more the way the film turns from being the kidnap heist thriller it starts off as into, well, something else. I mention this not by way of criticism, but more to explain why this review isn’t going anywhere near stuff even shown in the trailer. I saw this cold and had an absolute blast. I can’t give you an honest reading as to how I’d feel had I known what was around the corner.
Still. I’m hardly playing surprises to suggest that there’s a horror tinge to this,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
From the moment the film was announced a year ago, “Abigail” has been marketed as a remake of “Dracula’s Daughter,” the 1936 Universal Pictures curio. So it’s no spoiler to say that the title character of “Abigail” is…Dracula’s daughter. Yet if you went in not knowing that, it might be the only real surprise in the movie, apart from what a brutally monotonous blood-vomiting genre mashup it is.
For a while, we think we’re watching a standard kidnap thriller. It opens with Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is 12, on the ballet stage rehearsing “Swan Lake,” a most definite vampire homage, since Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous heart-swelling score is the same music that played over the opening credits of the 1931 Bela Lugosi “Dracula.” That lyrical entré ends in about three minutes, as the kidnappers, all overstated profane synthetic crudeness, jam themselves into a van and abscond with Abigail, who they...
For a while, we think we’re watching a standard kidnap thriller. It opens with Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is 12, on the ballet stage rehearsing “Swan Lake,” a most definite vampire homage, since Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous heart-swelling score is the same music that played over the opening credits of the 1931 Bela Lugosi “Dracula.” That lyrical entré ends in about three minutes, as the kidnappers, all overstated profane synthetic crudeness, jam themselves into a van and abscond with Abigail, who they...
- 4/18/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Plot: A group of criminals kidnap a young girl who isn’t what she seems.
Review: There was a period in my youth when vampire films ranked amongst the coolest in the horror genre. Films such as The Lost Boys, Fright Night, Near Dark, and From Dusk Till Dawn knew how to tell a story while not forgetting to show us a good time. With directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s latest film, Abigail, this pair delivers by bringing the fun back into horror. As with 2019’s Ready or Not, this genre-mixing rollercoaster primarily takes place in a large mansion, but instead of one lead being hunted, it’s an entire group.
The film jumps right into gear with the abduction of Abigail (Alisha Weir), the 12-year-old ballerina who is the daughter of a very powerful and wealthy man. Guaranteed a hefty ransom for the kidnapping is a motley crew of miscreants,...
Review: There was a period in my youth when vampire films ranked amongst the coolest in the horror genre. Films such as The Lost Boys, Fright Night, Near Dark, and From Dusk Till Dawn knew how to tell a story while not forgetting to show us a good time. With directing duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s latest film, Abigail, this pair delivers by bringing the fun back into horror. As with 2019’s Ready or Not, this genre-mixing rollercoaster primarily takes place in a large mansion, but instead of one lead being hunted, it’s an entire group.
The film jumps right into gear with the abduction of Abigail (Alisha Weir), the 12-year-old ballerina who is the daughter of a very powerful and wealthy man. Guaranteed a hefty ransom for the kidnapping is a motley crew of miscreants,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Michael Conway
- JoBlo.com
A motley crew of criminals gets more than they bargained for when the 12-year-old ballerina they kidnapped for a $50 million ransom turns out to be a bloodthirsty vampire in Abigail, the latest film from the Radio Silence trio of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and producer Chad Villella. With Abigail recently having its world premiere in New Orleans at the Overlook Film Festival ahead of its April 19th theatrical release via Universal Pictures, Daily Dead had the chance to talk with Matt and Tyler before the world premiere to discuss the vampire and crime film influences behind their horror heist genre mashup, filming in the historic (and potentially haunted) Glenmaroon House in Ireland, working with a star-studded ensemble, and the full-circle emotions of screening Abigail in New Orleans after shooting their first feature in the Big Easy more than a decade ago.
You can read our full interview with Tyler and Matt below,...
You can read our full interview with Tyler and Matt below,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Talk about nepotism. “Abigail,” a blood-sucking thriller about the daughter of Dracula, arguably the most famous vampire in history, is poised to lead at the domestic box office.
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
- 4/17/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The Universal horror movie “Abigail” began as a modern-day twist on “Dracula’s Daughter,” but making a film about the legendary vampire’s blood-sucking scion wasn’t the reason why the filmmaking trio Radio Silence — producer Chad Villella and directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett — wanted to make the project their follow-up to 2022’s “Scream” and 2023’s “Scream VI.”
“As freeing as it is to challenge the format of what a ‘Scream’ movie is, you’re playing in a pretty specific sandbox,” Gillett says. “Coming out of ‘Scream VI,’ it was just really clear, like, what if we could take any risk that we felt creatively inspired to take and not have to worry about how it fits into the legacy of a predecessor?”
Instead, Radio Silence wanted to return to their roots in original horror, from 2012’s “V/H/S” to 2019’s “Ready or Not.” In “Abigail,” a team of mercenary thieves — played by Melissa Barrera,...
“As freeing as it is to challenge the format of what a ‘Scream’ movie is, you’re playing in a pretty specific sandbox,” Gillett says. “Coming out of ‘Scream VI,’ it was just really clear, like, what if we could take any risk that we felt creatively inspired to take and not have to worry about how it fits into the legacy of a predecessor?”
Instead, Radio Silence wanted to return to their roots in original horror, from 2012’s “V/H/S” to 2019’s “Ready or Not.” In “Abigail,” a team of mercenary thieves — played by Melissa Barrera,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety Film + TV
With spring break simmering to 8% K-12 on break, and 1% colleges off, it’s a hodgepodge at the weekend box office until 20th Century Studios’ Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes arrives to an expected $50 million-plus opening during the second weekend of May.
A24’s Civil War, which currently counts $27M through Monday after $1.9M yesterday, will need to defend its No. 1 flag from Universal’s Radio Silence-directed genre title Abigail. Both are looking at around $12M apiece. Still, that would rep a 53% decline for Alex Garland’s dystopian, divided America thriller, which would be excellent. Civil War will share Imax auditoriums with Sony/Crunchyroll’s anime Spy x Family Code: White as well as the Nathaniel Kahn-directed documentary Deep Sky.
‘Abigail’
Booked at 3,300 theaters, Abigail stars Melissa Barrera and the late Angus Cloud as well as Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand as a bunch of kidnappers who opt to abduct 12-year old ballerina Abigail (Alisha Weir). She’s the daughter of a powerful underworld figure, and her ransom is for $50M.
In an isolated mansion, the captors, whose job it is to watch her, start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. The pic will share Plf screens with Lionsgate’s Guy Ritchie-directed The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is looking at mid single-digits, as well as Spy x Family Code: White, which is looking to do about the same.
Abigail, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, starts previews on Thursday at 5 p.m. Men and women 18-34 are the sweet spot. Reviews for the R-rated pic are currently at 82% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
A $6M-ish opening for the Ritchie movie is in the same realm as The Covenant. The R-rated Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare received an A- CinemaScore during last weekend’s sneaks and will preview at 6 p.m. Thursday before going wide in 2,700 theaters.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
The Ritchie-written title is based upon recently declassified files of the British war department and inspired by true events. Pic tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming. The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British Sas and modern black ops warfare. Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding and Cary Elwes star. Some exhibitors believe the movie has a shot at blowing past its estimates. Rt reviews are at 81% fresh.
‘Spy x Family Code: White’
Spy x Family Code: White is booked at 2,000 engagements with 4 p.m. Thursday previews going in 1,870 sites. Pic will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English. The Takashi Katagiri-directed movie is the first film installment of the TV series, here with a stand-alone story featuring secret agent <Twilight>, his deadly assassin wife Yor, and their telepathic adopted daughter Anya in an all-new mission. Pic is based on the Harvey- and Eisner Award-nominated manga written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The TV series debuted on April 9, 2022, with the first two seasons available to watch on Crunchyroll.
A24’s Civil War, which currently counts $27M through Monday after $1.9M yesterday, will need to defend its No. 1 flag from Universal’s Radio Silence-directed genre title Abigail. Both are looking at around $12M apiece. Still, that would rep a 53% decline for Alex Garland’s dystopian, divided America thriller, which would be excellent. Civil War will share Imax auditoriums with Sony/Crunchyroll’s anime Spy x Family Code: White as well as the Nathaniel Kahn-directed documentary Deep Sky.
‘Abigail’
Booked at 3,300 theaters, Abigail stars Melissa Barrera and the late Angus Cloud as well as Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, William Catlett, Kevin Durand as a bunch of kidnappers who opt to abduct 12-year old ballerina Abigail (Alisha Weir). She’s the daughter of a powerful underworld figure, and her ransom is for $50M.
In an isolated mansion, the captors, whose job it is to watch her, start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl. The pic will share Plf screens with Lionsgate’s Guy Ritchie-directed The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which is looking at mid single-digits, as well as Spy x Family Code: White, which is looking to do about the same.
Abigail, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, starts previews on Thursday at 5 p.m. Men and women 18-34 are the sweet spot. Reviews for the R-rated pic are currently at 82% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
A $6M-ish opening for the Ritchie movie is in the same realm as The Covenant. The R-rated Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare received an A- CinemaScore during last weekend’s sneaks and will preview at 6 p.m. Thursday before going wide in 2,700 theaters.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’
The Ritchie-written title is based upon recently declassified files of the British war department and inspired by true events. Pic tells the story of the first-ever special forces organization formed during WWII by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a small group of military officials including author Ian Fleming. The top-secret combat unit, composed of a motley crew of rogues and mavericks, goes on a daring mission against the Nazis using entirely unconventional and utterly “ungentlemanly” fighting techniques. Ultimately their audacious approach changed the course of the war and laid the foundation for the British Sas and modern black ops warfare. Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding and Cary Elwes star. Some exhibitors believe the movie has a shot at blowing past its estimates. Rt reviews are at 81% fresh.
‘Spy x Family Code: White’
Spy x Family Code: White is booked at 2,000 engagements with 4 p.m. Thursday previews going in 1,870 sites. Pic will be available in both Japanese with English subtitles and dubbed in English. The Takashi Katagiri-directed movie is the first film installment of the TV series, here with a stand-alone story featuring secret agent <Twilight>, his deadly assassin wife Yor, and their telepathic adopted daughter Anya in an all-new mission. Pic is based on the Harvey- and Eisner Award-nominated manga written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. The TV series debuted on April 9, 2022, with the first two seasons available to watch on Crunchyroll.
- 4/16/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Horror-comedy is one of the most intriguing genres out there, as it includes a weird mix of spooky terrors and sudden bouts of uncontrollable laughter. One of the many successful films that belonged to that genre is Samara Weaving’s Ready or Not. With an interesting premise and gore-filled comedy, the 2019 film managed to earn over $57 million at the global box office with a minuscule budget of $6 million.
Samara Weaving in Ready or Not
Viewers who loved the thriller-comedy can now rejoice as a sequel to the film is currently in the works. And it has been confirmed that Samara Weaving will be returning for part 2. The script is complete, and the Radio Silence directing team is working out to bring the next installment to silver screens.
SUGGESTEDAzrael SXSW Review: Samara Weaving Rules in Uneven Effects-Driven Horror Flick
However, looking at the current scenario, it might take some time, which...
Samara Weaving in Ready or Not
Viewers who loved the thriller-comedy can now rejoice as a sequel to the film is currently in the works. And it has been confirmed that Samara Weaving will be returning for part 2. The script is complete, and the Radio Silence directing team is working out to bring the next installment to silver screens.
SUGGESTEDAzrael SXSW Review: Samara Weaving Rules in Uneven Effects-Driven Horror Flick
However, looking at the current scenario, it might take some time, which...
- 4/16/2024
- by Sayantan Choudhary
- FandomWire
After delivering audiences thrilling horror pics like “Ready or Not” and the previous two “Scream” installments, filmmakers Radio Silence—the moniker behind directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, with their producer partner Chad Villella— is back this week with the release of their new vampire flick “Abigail” (April 19). And the filmmaking collective has confirmed recent rumors to Entertainment Weekly that they are indeed working on “Ready or Not 2” for Searchlight Pictures, revealing that they have a gangbusters script for the sequel.
Continue reading ‘Ready Or Not 2’: Radio Silence Says Script For Horror Sequel Is “An Absolute F***ing Banger” at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Ready Or Not 2’: Radio Silence Says Script For Horror Sequel Is “An Absolute F***ing Banger” at The Playlist.
- 4/16/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
After her contentious departure from the Scream film series, Melissa Barrera, a former star of the franchise, recently shared that she is ready to move on. With her sights set on bigger career goals, the actress considers her departure to have been a minor “hiccup”.
In an interview with Collider, Barrera discussed her goals for the future after her tenure in the Scream franchise late last year. Barrera considers it to be a huge deal, given the numerous challenges he has encountered in the industry this year.
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in Scream VI
The sixth Scream movie, which is co-directed by Tyler Gillet and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, follows Sam and Jenna Ortega as they pursue Ghostface through New York City. As a result of the movie’s box office success, Scream 7’s development was confirmed. It seems that fans have seen the last of Barrera’s character, though,...
In an interview with Collider, Barrera discussed her goals for the future after her tenure in the Scream franchise late last year. Barrera considers it to be a huge deal, given the numerous challenges he has encountered in the industry this year.
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in Scream VI
The sixth Scream movie, which is co-directed by Tyler Gillet and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, follows Sam and Jenna Ortega as they pursue Ghostface through New York City. As a result of the movie’s box office success, Scream 7’s development was confirmed. It seems that fans have seen the last of Barrera’s character, though,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
Melissa Barrera has been making interesting choices with her projects since her breakout role in the 2021 musical In the Heights. The actress entered the Scream franchise as Sam Carpenter who has an intriguing connection to the original Scream film. She and Jenna Ortega played the Carpenter sisters and starred in both 2022’s Scream and 2023’s Scream VI.
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in Scream VI
Unfortunately, Barrera was fired from Scream 7 due to her controversial political statements which led to various setbacks in the pre-production process of the film. However, Barrera has pursued other exciting projects and has the vampire-horror film Abigail coming soon. The reviews of the film have started to come in and it seems Barrera has another hit on her hands.
Abigail’s Positive Reviews is Great News for Melissa Barrera After Her Scream Fiasco
Melissa Barrera as Joey in Abigail
Melissa Barrera‘s career took...
Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega in Scream VI
Unfortunately, Barrera was fired from Scream 7 due to her controversial political statements which led to various setbacks in the pre-production process of the film. However, Barrera has pursued other exciting projects and has the vampire-horror film Abigail coming soon. The reviews of the film have started to come in and it seems Barrera has another hit on her hands.
Abigail’s Positive Reviews is Great News for Melissa Barrera After Her Scream Fiasco
Melissa Barrera as Joey in Abigail
Melissa Barrera‘s career took...
- 4/16/2024
- by Rahul Thokchom
- FandomWire
Filmmaking collective Radio Silence says a script for Ready Or Not 2 has been written, and that it’s “an absolute f—ing banger.”
Confirming an earlier rumour that a sequel to 2019’s Ready Or Not is in development, the filmmakers collectively known as Radio Silence have said that a script has already been written. They also add that the screenplay is rather good – or a “an absolute f—ing banger of a sequel,” to quote one of them directly.
We’re guessing the censored bit was ‘flaming’ or perhaps ‘flipping’.
“It’s getting figured out,” co-director Tyler Gillett told Entertainment Weekly when asked about the sequel’s status. “That’s what we’ll say: Ready Or Not 2 is getting figured out. What we can say is that there is a script that is an absolute [flipping] banger of a sequel. And however it gets made, and in whatever capacity we are helping get it made,...
Confirming an earlier rumour that a sequel to 2019’s Ready Or Not is in development, the filmmakers collectively known as Radio Silence have said that a script has already been written. They also add that the screenplay is rather good – or a “an absolute f—ing banger of a sequel,” to quote one of them directly.
We’re guessing the censored bit was ‘flaming’ or perhaps ‘flipping’.
“It’s getting figured out,” co-director Tyler Gillett told Entertainment Weekly when asked about the sequel’s status. “That’s what we’ll say: Ready Or Not 2 is getting figured out. What we can say is that there is a script that is an absolute [flipping] banger of a sequel. And however it gets made, and in whatever capacity we are helping get it made,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
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