Summary

Final Destination Bloodlines scored the biggest opening in the franchise at $102 million globally.
Despite a 14-year gap, the film surpassed previous installments at the box office with unique marketing stunts.
The success highlights that long waits between sequels aren't detrimental and clever marketing can lead to box office success.

As expected, the stench of death in Final Destination Bloodlines seemed too potent for the audience to ignore . After being met with a thunderous welcome at the box office and earning a franchise record, nothing is stopping a seventh return from happening.

Final Destination Bloodlines is the sixth installment in the Final Destination horror series of films and the first in fourteen years. The story follows a cursed bloodline, where members begin dying under mysterious circumstances, all tied to a catastrophic event their matriarch was never meant to survive five decades earlier. Originally introduced as a franchise reboot in the wake of Final Destination 5’s success, the project eventually evolved into a full-fledged sequel, weaving in narrative threads and characters from earlier films. Among its most anticipated elements is the return of Tony Todd’s iconic William Bludworth for one final, ominous appearance.

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By Jinal Bhatt

Final Destination Bloodlines Scored The Biggest Opening In The Franchise By Leaps And Bounds

It's Also on Course to Surpass Their Global Total As Early as Next Week

Heading into its debut weekend, industry forecasts placed the film's domestic opening at between $35 and $40 million. It’s a respectable figure, but Bloodlines quickly demolished it. According to Variety, the film grossed $51 million in North America and an identical $51 million across 71 overseas markets, for a five-day $102 million global opening (including Wednesday and Thursday previews). Not only did this easily sweep the U.S. Box office hierarchy this week, but it's more than what the next four competitors—Thunderbolts* ($16.5 million), Sinners ($15.4 million), A Minecraft Movie ($5.8 million), and The Accountant 2 ($4.9 million)—combined.

Final Destination Bloodlines’ domestic debut is by far the biggest in the franchise and makes a mockery of its predecessors. For reference, the first Final Destination opened with $10 million in 2000; Final Destination 2, $16.2 million; Final Destination 3, $20.1 million; Final Destination 4, $27.4 million; and Final Destination 5, $18 million. The latest installment has already surpassed the entire global box office haul of Final Destination 2 ($90.4 million) and will inevitably do the same to all previous films by next week, per industry analyst Luiz Fernando on X. That’s right: Bloodlines will be the highest-grossing movie in the franchise in as little as seven days!

The records spill over to the R-rated and horror genres as well: Halloween Kills’ $49.4 million is no longer the biggest post-COVID R-rated horror opening.

There are a couple of insights to glean from this success story. First, long waits between sequels are no death sentence—take note, The Batman: Part 2. Second, sometimes all it takes is clever marketing. Warner Bros. Pulled off some impressive stunts while promoting Bloodlines, including a log-filled truck on a highway; fans still dread the “highway to hell” scene in the second film . And third, when the creative strategy aligns with bold promotion, Warner Bros. Can deliver box office hat-tricks: A Minecraft Movie, Sinners, and now this.

With a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid B+ Cinemascore, among the franchise’s best-ever, Final Destination Bloodlines is poised to break the series' trend of short-lived momentum. Don’t expect legs as mature as Ryan Coogler's Sinners’, though. That would be a gigantic ask for any film.

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Horror

Mystery

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Release Date: May 16, 2025
Runtime: 110 minutes
Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
Writers: Lori Evans Taylor, Guy Busick
Producers: Craig Perry, Toby Emmerich, Jon Watts, Dianne McGunigle, Sheila Hanahan Taylor
Prequel(s): Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Final Destination 3, The Final Destination, Final Destination 5
Franchise(s): Final Destination