Relativity’s low-budget resurrection horror flick “The Lazarus Effect” scared up $350,000 at Thursday night previews, with screenings beginning at 8 p.m.
The Blumhouse-produced film, starring Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde, follows a group of researchers who think they’ve discovered the secret to bringing the dead back to life – though when they try it on one of their own, there are unforeseen and terrifying consequences.
Made for $5 million and acquired by Relativity for $3.3 million, it is expected to be the latest Blumhouse production to turn a substantial profit on a modest investment.
Its Thursday-night take trailed that of a bigger, more expensive film, Warner Bros’ con-man comedy “Focus,” starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie. That film also debuted at the Thursday night box office, earning $900,000.
Smith and Robbie play a pair of grifters whose romantic relationship threatens their professional, criminal lives. The film opens Friday at 3,323 theaters.
Analysts see “Focus” ending the two-week reign of “Fifty Shades of Grey” at No. 1 by grossing north of $20 million for Warner Bros. “Lazarus” should gross around $14 million over its opening weekend, they say, though Relativity is more conservative and sees “Lazarus” opening in line with tracking at $12 million to $14 million.
Last year, the Relativity-Blumhouse horror collaboration “Oculus” brought in $475,000 from Thursday shows that started at 10 p.m. It went on to a $12 million opening weekend.