The long-awaited sequel of the hit horror film, The Black Phone, has finally made its debut after three years in the making and has topped the box office charts. With high expectations and a highly anticipated release, critics have had mixed-to-positive reviews for the film.
In just this past weekend alone, the film has topped the North American box office charts with $25.6 million in ticket sales. It has surpassed the debut of the first film, which made $23.6 million. This film has seen a wave of good reviews, too. “It’s a fantastic opening. Our great partners in Scott Derrickson and Blumhouse once again took this property and crafted an unbelievably haunting, chilling story that audiences just simply couldn’t get enough of,” says Jim Orr, the head of Universal’s domestic distribution.
Although lots of critics have had positive things to say about the film, it’s worth noting that some of the feedback about the film expresses disappointment in the film in comparison to the first. “The writing is insufferable in its laziness,” “Black Phone 2 can be considered his first real bad horror movie,” and “It’s hands down one of the worst sequels I’ve ever seen,” according to Metacritic.
As much as the first movie gained popularity, the film was actually sort of a letdown as far as sales went. Theaters were just starting to gain popularity again in 2021 after the COVID shutdowns when the first film made its debut. This successful debut this past weekend was exactly what Blumhouse needed after a disappointing release M3GAN 2.O.
The beloved cast of The Black Phone is back, including Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, and Ethan Hawke, returning as their characters from the first film. We even see the unexpected return of Miguel Mora, whose fan favorite character, Robin Arellano, dies in the first film. This time around, he is playing Ernesto Arellano, the younger brother of Robin.
As far as what to expect if you plan to see the film, Black Phone 2 follows the characters Gwen, Finney, and Ernesto through their journeys of trying to navigate the horrific events and trauma they endured four years prior. As soon as they think things are returning to normal, The Grabber strikes again, this time with a supernatural mystery that leads them back to a summer camp that Finney and Gwen’s mom is connected to. The truth of their pasts begins to come to light, as well as new challenges and romances emerging.
