Surprising Box Office Sleeper “The Blackening” Brings Laughs to VOD
Based on a comedy central sketch by Dewayne Perkings, The Blackening has become a box office sleeper hit after its massively successful theatrical run! Making its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2022, The Blackening is now available on VOD Platform for streaming this fall.
In this horror comedy, directed by Ride Along (2016) director Tim Story, we follow a group of friends on a Juneteenth weekend getaway to the mountains, where they stay in a literal Cabin in the Woods. A twisted killer stalks and attacks the group and they must work together to escape his wrath, or prove who is the least Black of the group, within the all-Black group of friends.
The screenplay was co-written by Tracy Oliver (Harlem, Awkward Black Girl, Girls Trip) and Dewayne Perkins with a comedic take on horror film stereotypes and tropes. Its horror-comedy style centers a dynamically black friend group around a racist board that ironically rewards players for their lack of black identity. This hilarious cast includes Yvonne Orji, Dewayne Perkins, Antoinette Robertson, Sinqua Walls, Melvin Gregg, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Jermaine Fowler, and Jay Pharoah.
The Blackening is a funny and refreshing watch. Oliver and Perkins take on Black horror film tropes and stereotypes with precision, creativity, and pure entertainment. The key art in this film reads “We Can’t All Die First, '' which speaks to the common trope in horror films that the Black characters MUST always die first, but what happens when the entire cast is Black? I’m not sure if this trope exists because the Black characters are usually in a supporting role in many horror films or if an evil character looks scariest exercising its violence on Black people. Regardless, this is a fresh take on the trope. Where comedy and laughter help us better understand the boxes that were placed on Black characters and culture. The Blackening leans into the “Cabin in The Wood'' campy vibe in terms of comedy, being careful not to take itself too seriously, but also being relatable enough to bring the audience into the dynamic of the group.
It feels like it’s been a while since we had a proper Black comedy after a few years of Black trauma-oriented films, so this was well-needed. While the term “ Black trauma” has moved into the public lexicon to critique and often condemn the horror/thriller themes being used to talk about racialized issues in Trump Era Hollywood. Not enough room has been left for comedic horrors that speak to the issues and experiences of African American audiences.
From a production perspective, the film excelled in its strong ability to tell such an isolated story with very few locations, a small yet mighty cast, and the use of pre-existing tropes to tell jokes that felt familiar and natural. From the quirky action like Shanika swimming across the lake, to the “office white” uninviting himself from the proverbial cookout.
One unique portrayal in the film was the relationship between Melvin Gregg playing “King” and Dewyan Perkins playing “Dewayn”. Gregg is not the typical darker-skinned, hyper-masculine Black man, portraying a gun-wielding thug from Chicago. Perkins doesn’t lean into “Dewayn’s” sassy wits and intelligence to solve the group's problems. He spends much of the movie on the drug molly and focuses on having a good time. Perkin mentioned in an interview on CBS Morning that the goal of the film is to take these traditional tropes and allow the audience to occupy them and expand the scope of what people see in the characters.
The Blackening feels accessible. Never too on the nose with social commentary, but also never loses sight of its main message of friendship. This “smart, Black comedy” is accentuated by the casting of Yvonne Orji from HBO’s Insecure, Antoinette Robertson from Netflix’s Dear White People, and Grace Byers from Amazon Prime’s Harlem
Despite its early controversies and an accusation of “copyright infringement” made by the creator of the “Black Card Revoked” card game. The film went on to make $17 million at the box office giving a 3x return on investment, with a $5 million production budget. This box office success is just another example of how powerful word-of-mouth marketing, smart casting, and authentic storytelling are still the hallmarks of a successful film regardless of a $100 million budget.
According to The Numbers.com, only three days into the movie's Juneteenth opening, The Blackening “broke even” on its budget, moving into the black. While on its third weekend, it reached $16 million in box office sales.
We finally have a movie where all of the “supportive Black friend” characters have a voice. These characters have been traditionally cast aside in other horror films, but here they are put front and center in the narrative I would have loved to see this film with a group of my Black friends and family with the audience commentary on full display. Even though the language was mild and the jokes pretty clean, The Blackening is a good watch if you need something to play during game night or a kickback. The Blackening is now available on digital VOD platforms!