Box Office: ‘Night Swim’ Dips Toes in Water With $1.5M in Thursday Previews

Night Swim has begun its run in theaters with $1.5 million in previews.

The horror pic, from Blumhouse and Universal, is the first new nationwide release of 2024 and is tipped to open to $9 million or more in North America. That may not be enough to topple Christmas musical Wonka from the top spots.

Directed by Bryce McGuire’ Night Swim is adapted from a 2014 short film he made in collaboration with Rod Blackhurst. The 98-minute film is about a haunted pool, which has left some reviewers with their heads in their hands. “And when the most chilling line in a movie is ‘There’s something wrong with that pool!’ it’s all too easy to imagine the barbs on a future episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000,” writes The Hollywood Reporter critic Frank Scheck.

Fortunately for the filmmakers, horror fans don’t necessarily pay attention to reviews.

The story begins with flashback of a young girl who meets an unfortunate end when she attempts to retrieve a mysterious toy boat from her backyard swimming pool. Years later, the Waller family movies in: Ray (Wyatt Russell), a former baseball player whose career was cut short by multiple sclerosis; his wife, Eve (Kerry Condon); teenage daughter Izzy (Amelie Hoeferle; and his not-so-athletic 12-year old son Elliot (Gavin Warren).

Holiday holdovers will dominate this weekend’s box office chart. Warner Bros.’ Wonka, the biggest winner of the Christmas season, will finish the weekend with more than $160 million or $170 million in domestic ticket sales. DC and Warners’ superhero pic Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has earned just $87.5 million to date domestically, a sobering sum for a big-budget superhero pic.

Among other yuletide offerings, Universal and Illumination’s animated family pic Migration has earned north of $65 million to date domestically, while Sony’s edgy romantic-comedy Anyone But You has grossed a pleasing $32 million-plus.

Adult-skewing films The Color Purple (Warners), The Boys in the Boat (MGM/Amazon) and The Iron Claw (A24) are also competing in theaters.

Movies up for top Golden Globe nominations at Sunday’s ceremony could see a bump this weekend as moviegoers rush to catch up before the show, although this phenomenon isn’t as prevalent as it once was.