Sony was probably hoping for itsI Know What You Did Last Summerreboot to generate the sort of buzz that Paramount’sScreamand Warner Bros.’Final Destination Bloodlineswere able to in recent years. Both films reinvigorated their respective franchises with positive reviews and an excellent box office performance.I Know What You Did Last Summer, on the other hand, has fallen short on both accounts. Sony probably overestimated the franchise’s value, as it struggles to produce IP-driven movies that have nothing to do with Spider-Man.
Recently, the studio released the video game adaptationUntil Dawn, which concluded its run with just over $50 million. A few weeks later,Karate Kid: Legendsgrossed a little over $100 million worldwide. Neither result is good enough to sustain a studio of Sony’s size, and with its Marvel-style shared universe of superhero movies having imploded, it has no choice but to rely on properties likeI Know What You Did Last Summer. On paper, a franchise that appeals to millennials isn’t a bad idea, but themovie’s $45 million worldwide haulso far suggests otherwise. That said,I Know What You Did Last Summerdidn’t cost a bomb, and has already recovered itsreported budget of $18 million.
This weekend, the movie overtook horror maestroJames Wan’s biggest bomb, the pandemic-era releaseMalignant. The movie was extremely divisive, but has sincedeveloped something of a cult followingfor its campy tone and Wan’s direction. Produced on a reported budget of $40, themovie made only around $34 million worldwide.Malignant’s box office potential was impacted by a day-and-date release on HBO Max, like every W.B. film that year.I Know What You Did Last Summerhas no chance of out-grossing the original film from 1997, which made over $125 million worldwide, nor will it overtake the franchise’s second installment,I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, which made over $80 million globally.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ Opened to Poor Reviews
Directed byJennifer Kaytin Robinson, who created the underrated MTV showSweet/Viciousand directed the Hitchcockian Netflix filmDo Revenge,I Know What You Did Last Summeropened to negative reviews. It holds a 38% score on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus reads, “Faithfully harkening back to the original for better or worse, thisI Know What You Did Last Summerreboot serves up plenty of nostalgia without finding a compelling hook of its own.”
I Know What You Did Last Summer
