‘Odd premise’—Fans laugh as ‘THE MONKEY’ opens with $14.2M, NEON’s second-biggest debut after ‘LONGLEGS’

Horror fans can’t resist a creepy toy with a murderous agenda. Osgood Perkins’ latest thriller, The Monkey, has opened to an impressive $14.2 million domestically, making it NEON’s second-biggest debut ever, right behind Longlegs. Given the film’s bizarre premise and eerie marketing campaign, this box office performance has sparked quite a thread of online conversation.

The film, based on Stephen King’s short story, follows a cursed cymbal-clapping monkey that brings doom to anyone who crosses its path. It’s weird, it’s unsettling, and apparently, people are into it. Horror audiences have always had a soft spot for haunted objects, but this one takes the cake—or rather, the banana.

---

The Monkey Box Office Sparks Viral Discussion

As soon as the numbers rolled in, movie enthusiasts turned to social media to respond. Some were ecstatic, others were shocked, and some were simply baffled as to why a film about a possessed toy monkey was performing so well. The post announcing The Monkey's strong debut quickly gained traction, and eventually led people to chime in with their thoughts—some logical, some hilarious.

Horror films have a way of creating buzz on the internet, particularly when they involve something deeply disturbing but somehow hilarious. A murderous doll? So been there. A cursed monkey? Now that's new. People love to talk about weird horror concepts, and The Monkey delivered the perfect mix of absurdity and scares to keep the conversation going.

If there’s one thing horror fans know how to do, it’s react dramatically. Some were impressed that a film with such an offbeat premise could pull in strong numbers. Others were a little underwhelmed and expected it to open higher. But most were just amused by the idea of a cymbal-clapping monkey haunting people and getting a theatrical release in 2024.

One fan summed it up simply: “What an odd premise. But seems neat.”

Another took a more horror-fan approach:

“Audiences can’t resist a killer toy.”

They’re not wrong history has proven that haunted playthings (Annabelle, Child’s Play) have a way of pulling audiences in.

Not everyone was surprised by the film’s success.

“The monkey is scary! I didn’t expect it to do so well.”

That seems to be a common theme—people may have initially laughed at the idea, but they definitely showed up to watch it. And, of course, there were those who just embraced the sheer weirdness of it all.

“This one looks sooooo weird… I LOVE IT haha.”

Of course, not everyone was impressed. Some expected a bigger opening and weren’t afraid to say it. “Too low than what I expected.” well, you can’t please everyone. But for a mid-budget horror film about a haunted monkey, it’s safe to say that $14.2 million is far from a flop.

Whether The Monkey has long legs (pun intended) at the box office remains to be seen, but its strong debut proves that horror fans are willing to embrace the strange. The buzz is there, the memes are flowing, and the conversations are still going strong.

With Longlegs and now The Monkey, NEON seems to have found its groove in delivering horror that is both unsettling and meme-worthy. And honestly? That’s a winning combination.