British cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean has released its predicted opening and theatrical total ranges for The Strangers: Chapter 3, the third and final installment of Lionsgate’s The Strangers prequel trilogy. Filmed simultaneously by cult action director Renny Harlin, the first film grossed a modest £1.9 million in 2024 while its sequel, released last September, saw a steep drop to £832,000. Our prediction has Chapter 3 opening to £200,000 – £350,000 en route to a total U.K./Ireland gross of £500,000 – £800,000.
Lionsgate’s scheduling of The Strangers: Chapter against 20th Century Studios’ far buzzier Send Help, directed by horror iron Sam Raimi, indicates a waning investment in the franchise to match waning audience interest. Send Help‘s high-concept of Cast Away meets Misery has far more sell than The Strangers’ generic home invasion narrative, and Send Help also has star power on its side in the form of audience favorite Rachel McAdams and teen heartthrob-turned-mid 30s hunk Dylan O’Brien. Conversely, The Strangers: Chapter 3’s biggest draw is Gabriel Basso. While certainly an up-and-comer with hit Netflix series The Night Agent and acclaimed performances in Clint Eastwood’s Juror No. 2 and Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, he is by no means the household name of O’Brien or McAdams.
We predict a £3M total theatrical gross for Send Help, placing it well above The Strangers: Chapter 3 in terms of box office. The January-February corridor has become a hot scheduling option for horror titles, with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple offering something for the prestige crowd and Primate serving up classic, dumb fun. It is hard to see where The Strangers: Chapter 3’s appeal lies beyond a small batch of lingering die-hard fans.
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