IFC has expanded the theatrical release of the upcoming horror film “Good Boy” from limited to full wide release in response to the fervor over the movie’s trailer — more than one million people viewed the clip since its debut on Aug. 18.
The movie will land in an unspecified number of theaters on Oct. 3.
The 72-minute film is told from the point of a view of a family pet who has recently moved to a rural home with his owner, Todd. According to the trailer’s YouTube description, the dog soon picks up on “supernatural forces” that are “lurking in the shadows” and is called upon to “protect the one he loves most.”
Ben Leonberg directed the original film from a script he wrote with Alex Cannon, and “Good Boy” originally premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in March to positive reviews.
IndieWire, which first reported the expansion, noted Google searches for “Does the dog in ‘Good Boy’ die” have also risen by more than 2,000%.
IFC is coming off a successful 2024 that saw the releases of horror film “I Saw the Devil” ($16.8 million worldwide) and Oscar-nominated animated film “Memoir of a Snail” ($7.6 million worldwide).
The expansion of “Good Boy” also comes as horror is having a nice run at the box office in 2025. Warner Bros./New Line’s original Zach Cregger film “Weapons” has raked in over $100 million domestic so far, “Sinners” was a smash hit earlier this year to the tune of over $365 million at the worldwide box office and “28 Years Later” grossed $150 million this summer.
What 2025’s horror hits have in common is originality, which bodes well for “Good Boy.”
