The Big Picture
- A Haunting in Venice has surpassed $100 million at the global box office, marking a successful trilogy for director-star Kenneth Branagh’s adaptations of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery novels.
- The film’s budget was reduced to $60 million, distinguishing it from its predecessors which were lavish period dramas with large-format film and big-name casts.
- Despite being based on a relatively unknown book, A Haunting in Venice received the best reviews in the series, with a “fresh” 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
It took nearly a month, but 20th Century Studios’ A Haunting in Venice has finally crossed a much-coveted milestone at the global box office. The third installment in director-star Kenneth Branagh’s adaptations of Agatha Christie’s murder mystery novels, the film had a rather rough time at the box office, which points to an uncertain future for the unlikely series. This weekend — its fourth — A Haunting in Venice grossed an estimated $2.7 million domestically, and added $4.4 million from overseas territories.
The film’s running domestic total now stands at an underwhelming $35 million, while its international cumulative haul has passed the $65 million mark. Worldwide, A Haunting in Venice has now crossed the $100 million milestone, completing a hat-trick for the series. The trilogy’s run has coincided with a new wave of interest in murder mysteries, aided no doubt by Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out films and Adam Sandler’s two Murder Mystery comedies.
Directed by Branagh, who also stars as the famed fictional detective Hercule Poirot, the series began with the 2017 sleeper hit Murder on the Orient Express, and continued with last year’s Death on the Nile. While Murder on the Orient Express legged it to over $100 million domestically and more than $350 million worldwide on a reported budget of $50 million, Death on the Nile was only able to generate around $45 million stateside and $137 million worldwide, against a hefty reported budget of $90 million. The studio decided to continue with the series despite the setback but made a concerted effort to restrict A Haunting in Venice’s budget to a reported $60 million.
‘A Haunting in Venice’ Stands Apart from Its Predecessors in Several Ways
The film also differs stylistically from its predecessors, which were mounted as lavish period dramas featuring all-star casts and shot on large-format film. Both Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile were arguably also based on two of the most iconic Poirot novels, while A Haunting in Venice — which was publicized as more of a horror film — is based on a relatively unknown book that has never been adapted for a feature film before.
Ironically, A Haunting in Venice received the best reviews of the series, at least according to the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The film currently sits at a “fresh” 75% score, as compared to the identical 61% scores that both Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile earned. A Haunting in Venice also stars Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Ali Khan, Emma Laird, Kelly Reilly, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Michelle Yeoh. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
A Haunting In Venice is still playing in theaters.
