Upcoming Horror Movie Has An Odd Connection To Johnny Depps 12-Year-Old Tim Burton Box Office Flop

Summary

Nosferatu, directed by Robert Eggers, has connections to Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s past work.
Nosferatu’s strong cast and star connections, including Lily-Rose Depp, could help it succeed despite recent vampire film underperformance.
The film’s Christmas Day release, like Sweeney Todd, could benefit from the holiday season and attract diverse viewers.

Robert Eggers’ upcoming vampire horror Nosferatu has striking connections to two Tim Burton and Johnny Depp film collaborations, one of which was an infamous box office flop. So far, Nosferatu has sported some exciting characteristics that prove its impending box office performance shouldn’t be a cause for concern. With Nosferatu’s recently released trailer promising an all-around unsettling viewing experience and an impressive cast lineup, including horror favorites Bill Skarsgård (It, It Chapter Two) and Willem Dafoe (American Psycho, The Lighthouse), set to feature, Nosferatu is looking to be a major horror crowd draw.

Its potential as a crowd-puller is even more likely as a remake of F. W. Murnau’s seminal film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, both of which have been instrumental works in the genre’s evolution. That said, the cinematic climate hasn’t been too keen on vampire films lately, and Nosferatu could be doomed to underperform like those preceding it. Yet, if the Nosferatu remake can take advantage of its strengths – and, oddly enough, capitalize on its connections to old Burton and Depp collaborations – it can become a big win at the box office and with audiences.

Recent vampire movies like
Abigail
,
Renfield
, and
The Last Voyage
of
Demeter
all underperformed at the box office.

Nosferatu (2024)

Nosferatu is a remake of the 1922 silent film of the same name from director F. W. Murnau. Robert Eggers is crafting his own version of the story for the reboot as writer and director, with Bill Skarsgård stepping into the shoes of Count Orlok. Nosferatu tells the tale of a young woman who falls victim to a vampire utterly infatuated with her.

Release Date: December 25, 2024
Studio(s): Regency Enterprises , 1492 Pictures
Distributor(s): Focus Features , Universal Pictures

Johnny & Lily-Rose Depp Have Now Both Starred In Dracula-Inspired Vampire Horror Movies

In Dark Shadows and Nosferatu, Respectively

More than anything else, Burton’s 2012 film Dark Shadows contributed to the sinking trend of vampire movies, failing to win over viewers and flopping at the box office with $245 million made worldwide off a $150 million budget (Box Office Mojo). Dark Shadows had great potential for drawing crowds due to the big-name celebrity of Burton and Depp, but quickly floundered when reviews skewered it for being unremarkable and uninteresting. Coincidentally, Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose is now starring in the vampire horror Nosferatu, for which the burgeoning celebrity can help draw in audiences that don’t typically frequent horror.

Compounded by enticing followers of
Nosferatu’s
big-name stars like Skarsgård and Dafoe, the film has the clout to pull theatergoers of varying interests.

Lily-Rose may not bring the same amount of fame to Nosferatu as Burton and Depp had to Dark Shadows – but she can attract viewers of her drama contributions, such as the divisive series The Idol, or supporters of her modeling career to theaters to see how she fares in horror. Compounded by enticing followers of Nosferatu’s big-name stars like Skarsgård and Dafoe, the film has the clout to pull theatergoers of varying interests. To persist where Dark Shadows faltered, all Nosferatu would need is to execute enough substance in its story and production to keep viewers’ interest on a high.

“Like Conjuring Pure Evil”: Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu Vampire Gets Chilling Preview From Bill Skarsgård

Bill Skarsgård teases what audiences can expect from his terrifying Count Orlok vampire character in Robert Eggers’ upcoming Nosferatu remake.

Nosferatu’s Release Is Repeating The Strategy Of A Different Johnny Depp & Tim Burton Horror Movie

Nosferatu Will Repeat The Release Strategy Of Burton’s Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd looking at his silver razor blade

Nosferatu also has an interesting connection to Burton and Depp’s 2007 musical slasher Sweeney Todd, as it will similarly be released on Christmas. Sweeney Todd took a chance at introducing Depp as the Demon Barber of Fleet Street to bring in the sentimental holiday but succeeded tremendously. On opening day, Sweeney Todd grossed $9 million, then proceeded to triple its budget of $50 million throughout the holiday season, with a total of $153.3 million earned worldwide (via The Numbers). As anticipation sets in, Nosferatu could repeat the same high-yielding results.

So far, the cinematic docket for Christmas Day includes Michael Gracey’s music biopic Better Man and Rachel Morrison’s comedy-drama The Fire Inside. Because each will draw vastly different crowds, Nosferatu can capitalize particularly on those not looking for the lighthearted watchthat each holiday season so often brings. Nosferatu‘s release strategy has also been successfully utilized by atypical Christmas Day films like The Hateful Eight (2015), Wolf Creek (2005), Django Unchained (2012), and 1917 (2019).

Source: Box Office Mojo, The Numbers

Dark Shadows

Loosely based on the gothic soap opera of the same name, Dark Shadows follows a vampire named Barnabas Collins when he is unearthed from his tomb after 200 years. Barnabas adjusts to modern life, falls in love, and searches for a cure, but first he must confront the witch who cursed him so long ago.
Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd is a musical horror movie based on the stage play of the same name. Johnny Depp stars as the titular barber, who teams up with baker Nellie Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) to seek revenge against those who wronged him. The cast also includes Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, and Sacha Baron Cohen.