Melissa Barrera’s horror flick ‘Abigail’ is struggling at the box office.

Melissa Barrera’s new horror movie Abigail is out now in theaters, but the favorable critic reviews do not seem to encourage fans at all as the movie struggles to make a profit. The horror genre has been suffering from a decline in people’s interest over the past few years, and this is already becoming an alarming trend.

Abigail (2024)
The lukewarm audience reception to horror films can be attributed to several factors. As it is not yet the season for spooky vibes, viewers are not really looking into scaring themselves. The movie’s weak marketing can also contribute to its downfall.

Melissa Barrera On Her New Horror Film Abigail

Speaking on Blavity’s Shadow and Act interview, actress Melissa Barrera talked about how Matt Bettinelli-Olpin’s Abigail is a fresh start for her and something that she truly enjoyed working on. According to the star, she had more liberty here than any of her previous films.

“I feel like we felt more freedom in this one because it was a completely original, kind of new chapter for the three of us, which is always exciting. And it’s exciting to get to do something that feels fresh and original and that you have an opportunity to kind of showcase a character unlike anything you’ve ever done before.”

Melissa Barrera and Alisha Weir in Abigail
She also remarked how the cast and crew helped her bring out the best in her performance. The actress has starred in two Scream films so the horror genre is definitely her playground.

“That was something that I spoke a lot with them about it. I was like, how do I make Joey feel different? And so they helped me out with that a lot and just working with them is such a joy every time, but specifically in this.”

As per Collider, Abigail’s 3-day opening weekend earned $10 million at the domestic box office. Adding in the international grosses yields a total of $15.2 million. The movie’s budget allocation is $28 million; however, the fact that it has not yet opened in other global cinemas lights a spark of hope.

Will There Be A Sequel To Abigail?

Alisha Weir in Abigail
Despite its unimpressive box office figures, Abigail has a staggering 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. Will this warrant a sequel? Barrera tells IndieWire:

“There was a version of the script that pointed even more towards a sequel, and then the ending changed, and it became what it is. To me, it felt, because I had read the other ending that was so much like, ‘This story will be continued,’ and this one is just kind of open-ended, I didn’t know that people were going to pick up on the possibility that it could continue.”

Based on the actress’ statement, she is hopeful that the franchise will be given another shot just so it can continue its narrative. Only time will tell if Abigail earns enough to produce a sequel. Until then, rigorous marketing is needed to attract more viewers.

Abigail is now showing in theaters worldwide.