6 simple steps for making millions on a crappy horror movie

Want to earn fame and fortune by making the next Ouija? This guide is for you.

Ouija
(Image credit: (Matt Kennedy/Universal Pictures))

Halloween comes a little early this weekend with the release of Ouija, a horror movie based on the Parker Brothers board game of the same name. As one of the only horror movies hitting theaters this October, Ouija's success is virtually assured — but in its original form, it would have been a much bigger gamble. The original version of Ouija was pitched as a pricey blockbuster costing north of $100 million to produce. But Universal — skeptical over the film's box-office chances — drastically retooled the concept, resulting in the $5 million Ouija hitting theaters this weekend.

And here's the thing: they were totally right. At $100 million-plus, Ouija would have needed to be a well-crafted, well-reviewed smash; at $5 million, Ouija cannot fail to be successful. Box-office prognosticators have the film pegged for an opening weekend gross of $24 million to $29 million.

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.