The Wretched: Indie horror becomes unlikely box office champion amid pandemic

Small release has now matched a box office record held by films including Avatar and Titanic

The delay of every single high-profile film release has paved the way for an independent horror film to match an impressive box office record matched by Titanic and Avatar.

Released by IFC on digital platforms in May, The Wretched has managed to top the US box office for five consecutive weeks after being shown at select drive-in cinemas amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The supernatural film follows a defiant teenage boy who, while struggling with his parent’s imminent divorce, faces off with an old witch who has possessed his next door neighbour.

Although the lack of competition at the box office is what has led to the film’s success, Forbes reports that it now sits alongside The Sixth Sense and Black Panther as being one of just five films to have topped the box office for this length of time in 23 years.

The film earned another $181,000 (£146,000) over the weekend – from 75 cinemas – to match the record and become the unlikely hit of the summer. Its overall haul sits at $659,760 (£533,000).

Since the 1980s, there has been just 15 films that have topped the box office for six consecutive weeks, the last one being Avatar in 2009.

The Wretched, directed by Brett Pierce and Drew T Pierce, will join the ranks of films including Ghostbusters and The Fugitive if it manages to maintain its placement this weekend.

Last month, it was revealed that Woody Allen‘s new film, A Rainy Day in New York, which has been disowned by members of its cast including Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez, had become the biggest-selling film at the global box office after being released in South Korea.