10 Recent Horror Movies That Didn't Deserve To Bomb
3. Azrael
Just like Borderline, Azrael is a film that many expected to benefit from starring genre darling Samara Weaving, and the film's novel, dialogue-free premise certainly didn't hurt either.
Given that A Quiet Place proved how successful features with little dialogue can be, it seemed conceivable that this intensely moody post-apocalyptic cult horror would deliver a solid return. But distributor IFC Films ultimately didn't give Azrael much of a chance at all, as in addition to dropping it in just 800 North American cinemas, they barely marketed the movie at all, enough that audiences just didn't know about it.
As a result, Azrael grossed just $666,611 worldwide despite receiving positive reviews, with many vocal notices for Weaving's performance in particular. Even accepting that Azrael's release was a bit of a formality before it landed on Shudder a short while after - as is usual for films distributed by IFC - with a little more marketing juice, this one actually might've performed well theatrically.
Money was definitely left on the table here.