Osgood Perkins‘ much-anticipated horror film faced a stunning setback as the Osgood Perkins Keeper box office debut failed to meet expectations, plummeting by 76% in its second weekend across US theaters. Despite Perkins’ recent successes, Keeper’s release on November 14 has prompted industry watchers to question how momentum for a recognized filmmaker took such a rapid downturn.
A Disappointing Opening Follows Recent Hits
After gaining critical and commercial traction with Longlegs last year and The Monkey earlier this year, many in the industry believed Perkins had found a strong footing in horror. Keeper, however, launched with barely any attention among audiences or critics. Backed by Neon, the film saw the poorest opening of Perkins’ career, earning $1.1 million on its first US day and rounding out to just $2.5 million through its opening weekend at 1,950 theaters. The movie’s per screen average of $1,296 underscored its struggle to attract viewers, a stark contrast to the strong performances of his prior films.
When compared to Perkins’ previous releases, Keeper’s performance fell dramatically short. The Monkey brought in $14 million and Longlegs debuted with $22.4 million, making Keeper’s $2.5 million result a significant 454% and 785% drop respectively. The gap suggested to observers that, despite building momentum, Perkins’ newest project failed to connect or capitalize on his rising acclaim.
Second Weekend Slide Amplifies Concerns
Any hope for post-launch stabilization quickly faded in the film’s second week. Both weekdays and the critical Friday-to-Sunday stretch reflected weak earnings. After losing 565 theaters and dropping to 1,365 screens, Keeper recorded $200,000 on its second Friday, $240,000 on Saturday, and $160,000 on Sunday. This sequence resulted in a sharp 76.3% decrease versus its lackluster opening—an extreme dip that highlighted distributors’ growing anxieties about the film’s trajectory, especially during a period marked by strong horror box office results domestically.
Financial Realities and Worldwide Reception
Globally, Keeper’s total sits at $4.2 million against a reported $6 million production budget, according to Box Office Mojo. Of that sum, approximately $3.9 million has come from the US, making up about 92% of the global gross and signaling limited international appeal. Neon, the film’s distributor, was able to reduce financial risk by acquiring Keeper for $4 million, in contrast to MUBI’s considerably larger $24 million investment in Die My Love, thereby avoiding larger financial pitfalls.
Box Office Breakdown: Keeper’s Numbers in Detail
The Osgood Perkins Keeper box office figures offer a clear look at the film’s troubled commercial path this season:
- Domestic – $3.9 million
- International – $356,700
- Worldwide – $4.2 million
Projections now indicate that Keeper is likely to finish its domestic run just above $5 million. This positions the film as one of the year’s most challenged horror releases—an unexpected development given the genre’s otherwise dominant run at the box office. Perkins and industry analysts are left to grapple with how audience expectations, timing, and distribution strategy contributed to the film’s underwhelming result.
As the season continues and other horror titles maintain momentum, Keeper’s disappointing performance will serve as a case study in fluctuating audience interest and the unpredictable nature of box office outcomes—even for established filmmakers like Osgood Perkins.
