Summary
The First Omenhas become a streaming success after its lackluster box office performance earlier this year. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, the prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film,The Omen, stars Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, an American woman who joins a convent in Rome before uncovering a dark conspiracy to bring about the birth of pure evil.The First Omenreviewswere mostly positive from critics, but the film struggled at the box office and has only earned $53.8 million worldwide.
Now, a new streaming popularity chart shared byReelgoodreveals thatThe First Omenwas the sixth most popular title on streaming in the U.S. for the week of May 30 – June 5. The horror prequel, which is available on Hulu, beats out the likes ofAtlas,Evil, andTires, but comes in behindThe Acolyte,Dark Matter, and, in the number one spot,Godzilla Minus One. Check out the full top 10 chart below:
The First Omen’s Theatrical Reception Explained
The Horror Prequel Was Praised By Critics
As seen in the chart below,The First Omenenjoys a respectable 81% onRotten Tomatoes, indicating a clearly favorable reception from the larger critical community. The film was praised for its moments of genuine terror, and has generally been celebrated as a refreshing new start for the classic horror franchise. Previous sequels inThe Omensaga, by contrast, weren’t particularly well received.
85%
80%
48%
29%
33%
17%
23%
26%
40%
81%
69%
While not quite as high as the critics' rating,The First Omen’s audience score sits at 69%, suggesting that most general movie-goers enjoyed the movie as well. Unfortunately, this positive reception just didn’t translate to box office performance.Made on an estimated budget of $30 million, the film is likely still several million away from breaking even, and that doesn’t take marketing costs into consideration.
Horror has historically been very reliable as a genre, with movies often being relatively inexpensive to make with a high return on investment. This has certainly been shifting over the last year or so, butThe First Omenhad other factors working against it as well. It’s relatively expensive, firstly, but, as was also seen with thepoorly reviewedThe Exorcist: Believerlast year,audiences just aren’t all that interested in sequels/ prequels to decades-old horror franchises. Clearly, however,The First Omenis now finding an audience on streaming.
Will There Be Another Omen Movie?
It’s Unclear What The Franchise’s Future Is
While the generally warm reception from critics is a positive sign, the box office performance ofThe First Omencould halt plans for any further expansion of the franchise. Box office isn’t everything, however, and it’s certainly possible that the film’s performance on VOD and streaming will eventually push the project further into the black. Specific figures in these areas are not typically released, though, and it’s much more challenging to gauge just how successful a film is when looking at metrics other than box office.
If another installment in theOmenfranchise does end up moving forward, it might be best to tell more of a peripheral tale that’s disconnected from Damien’s story.
Financial situation aside,The First Omen’s endingmeans it’s not clear what another installment in the franchise would look like. Without delving too far into spoilers, the film is a prequel to Donner’s 1976 movie, and the story more or less ends by teeing up the events of that film. There isn’t really room to make a sequel toThe First Omensince the original trilogy of movies already serves as a continuation of that story.
The First Omen Has A Major Sequel Problem (& The Solution Is A Terrible Idea)
The First Omen is a prequel to the classic horror franchise, but the approach the movie is taking is going to make it difficult to mount any sequels.
The next movie in theOmenfranchise, then, could remake the original film and reimagine Damien’s story for a new generation of audiences. This approach, however, as seen with the 2006 remake, certainly comes with a lot of risk, and it would be challenging to top the 1976 version. If another installment in theOmenfranchisedoes end up moving forward, it might be best to tell more of a peripheral tale that’s disconnected from Damien’s story. This comes with its own set of problems, since Damien really is the centerpiece of the whole series.
2006’sThe Omenstarred Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles, and was directed by John Moore. The film earned mostly negative reviews but was a box office success.
A New Omen Movie Would Have To Make One Key Change
Sydney Sweeney’s 2024 Horror Movie Shows The Path Forward
Assuming a compelling story could be worked out for a newOmenmovie, there’s clearly one big change that would have to be made with any new installment. AfterThe First Omenstruggled to recoup its $30 million budget,any new movie will have to cost considerably less. If another installment could be made for, say, $15 million, the bar for success would be far lower.
Sydney Sweeney’s new horror movie,Immaculate, which features a storyline that is remarkably similar toThe First Omen’s, had a budget of only about $9 million. That film has now made close to $27 million worldwide, making it a success. It’s entirely possible thatThe First Omenwon’t be the last movie in the franchise, but whatever project comes next evidently has some key challenges to overcome.
The First Omen
Cast
The First Omen is a horror film from director Arkasha Stevenson that acts as a prequel to the 1976 film The Omen. The film follows a young woman who goes to Rome to become a nun but begins to question her faith after encountering a terrifying darkness that aims to spawn an evil incarnate.
