Summary

  • Numerous Stephen King adaptations in the works span a variety of movies and TV shows.
  • Osgood Perkins' movie The Monkey surpassed a $21 million box office milestone globally.
  • With the success of The Monkey, Perkins could soon achieve a $30 million box office gross.

There's never really been a time when being Stephen King was a bad idea. Not only is the legendary author one of the planet's biggest horror writers who has sold millions of books across every corner of the globe, but he also has countless directors wanting to take his novels and turn them into movies. Life couldn't get much better for the Maine native.

There are quite a few King adaptations in the works that are being turned into movies and TV shows, like The Life Of Chuck, Welcome to Derry, The Long Walk (written under Stephen King's pseudonym Richard Bachman), The Running Man, and countless others that include Carrie, which are in development. Nowadays, it's almost a challenge to keep track of how many of his books are hitting the big (and small) screen, but it only goes to show what a massive impact King has on pop culture, and it looks like it won't be slowing down anytime soon. However, one specific new adaptation taken from the pages of King's short 1980 story has achieved fantastic success in its first week of release, passing a major box office milestone.

Thomas Jane as Wilf in 1922
This 2017 Netflix Movie Is One Of Stephen King's Most Underrated Adaptations

Stephen King's beloved sci-fi and horror novels have been adapted for the big and small screen countless times, and one movie is particularly great.

The Monkey Climbs To Box Office Milestone After Strong Opening

The Monkey in The Monkey

Directed by Osgood Perkins, who previously directed the horror movie Longlegs, which was a massive smash hit last year, has yet another of his movies hit the big time. The Monkey, which is about two twin brothers who discover a vintage toy monkey in their attic, but instead of it being cute and entertaining, this toy is at the center of a host of horrifying deaths, has reached $21 million at the global box office. Perkin's horror movie reached over $15 million in just a few days of its release, with the remaining $6 million coming from the United Kingdom ($1.2 million) and Mexico ($990K).

Not willing to just hit a brilliant milestone for Neon, The Monkey could hit the $20 million mark before the end of March and even go out with a bang by reaching $30 million beyond its second week in the cinema. Whether it can crack Neon’s top 3 is yet to be seen, but its incredible rise in just a week showcases the movie's appeal among its horror audience. The film stars Theo James, Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, Colin O’Brien, Christian Convery, and more in primary roles.

The success of The Monkey is likely due to King's everlasting stellar reputation in Hollywood and also due to Perkin's triumph with Longlegs, and while it might not have reached the number one slot at the box office, it's an incredible feat for the director who has brought out only 2 movies in 8 months. With Perkin's next movie due out in October 2025 called Keeper, let's see if he can make it 3 in a row.

Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice and Longlegs in Longlegs
8 Horror Movies To Watch If You Like The Monkey

From horror comedies to demonic toys, fans of Osgood Perkins' latest movie The Monkey have plenty to catch up on with these similar horror flicks.

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Release Date
February 21, 2025
Runtime
97 minutes
Director
Osgood Perkins
Writers
Osgood Perkins, Stephen King
Producers
Chris Ferguson, James Wan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Dave Caplan
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  • instar53540294-1.jpg
    Theo James
    Hal / Bill
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    Tatiana Maslany
    Lois

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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Source: Box Office Mojo