Following the movie’s disappointing theatrical run,Night Swimfinds itself climbing the streaming charts. Based on the short film of the same name from Bryce McGuire and Rod Blackhurst, the former of whom would write and direct the feature-length effort, the 2024 movie centered on a former baseball player and his family moving into a new home, only to discover their backyard pool is home to a malevolent entity. Led by Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon,Night Swimwas largely panned by criticsand only a modest financial success, grossing $54.7 million against its $15 million production budget.
Now, just shy of eight months after the movie hit theaters,Night Swimis finding success on Prime Video. The Blumhouse film, which saw a generally favorable review from iconic horror author Stephen King, briefly held the No. 10 position on the streaming platform’s Top 10 in the US chart. Though the movie has since dropped from the Top 10, it is the second movie on the Popular Movies chart, confirming it’s still trending highly for the platform.
Night Swim’s Streaming Success Isn’t Entirely A Surprise
Its studio alone is notable for fan-favorite horror titles.
Though it may not currently be situated in Prime Video’s Top 10 anymore, the fact thatNight Swimclimbed so high after eight months may not come as much of a surprise to some. Those who did see the movie in its initial release were not as harsh as critics, but still largely mixed, with the film currently holding a 43% approval rating from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Even still,some recognized the potential forNight Swimto become a cult filmover time, in part to the movie’s unintentional hilarity.
One of the other major reasons why the movie’s streaming success doesn’t come as a surprise is the fact it hails from indie horror powerhouse, Blumhouse, who have frequently delivered titles that have been hits with audiences, even if underwhelming critics. The studio’s prior release toNight Swimis the ultimate proof of this, with2023’sFive Nights at Freddy’snot only becoming Blumhouse’s highest-grossing movieto date, but also having a 55% divide between critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.
All 7 Swimming Pool Deaths & Victims In Night Swim Explained
The character deaths in Night Swim occur in strange ways and feed into the film’s unique premise and the backstory of its unlikely antagonist.
With late December and early January having also seenWonka, Aquaman and the Lost KingdomandThe Color Purpledominate the box office,Night Swimclearly coasted by audiences in its initial release, making others curious to see the movie when it landed on streaming. Though it may have premiered on Peacock first, NBCUniversal’s platform is still growing, with Prime Video having a wider reach, thus bringing the film to more audiences. As new audiences continue to discover the movie, it will be interesting to see ifNight Swim’s streaming success grows.
Its writer/director has teased ideas for more.
With this late surge in popularity, the question will also become whetherNight Swim 2will happen following the first movie’s success. Though it may not have beena box office hit in the vein ofM3GAN, which saw a similar January release date from Blumhouse, its modest budget also kept it from being an outright flop. See howNight Swimcompared to Blumhouse’s 2023 releases on Rotten Tomatoes and at the box office in the chart below:
93%
78%
85%
73%
62%
26%
82%
67%
39%
70%
81%
87%
77%
22%
59%
32%
$297.1 Million
Given the majority of Blumhouse’s 2023 releases were on streaming, and they’ve yet to have a breakout hit likeFive Nights at Freddy’sthus far in 2024, the studio may elect to hold off on developingaNight Swimsequeluntil they gain some better ground at the box office.The Exorcist: Believer, in particular, proved something of a setback as Universal spent a reported $400 million to acquire the rights to the franchise for a full trilogy, whose plans were quickly scrapped after its underperformance. Instead, Blumhouse is moving forward with a standalone sequel hailing from writer/director Mike Flanagan.
Night Swim Ending Explained
Night Swim’s ending takes a sinister turn as the Waller family fights back. We break down the horror movie’s ending, and the lore at its center.
Should the studio elect to move forward with a sequel, though, there are some hangingNight Swimthreads that could be explored in a follow-up. McGuire already previously teased that he had an idea for aNight Swim 2, which would explore “more of the mythology” the first movie set up, and with there having been multiple past victims of the haunted pool, a follow-up could instead be a prequel. With streaming numbers being more particular to analyze as platforms rarely release them in full, only time will tell if Blumhouse sees enough of a boost in interest to make the sequel happen.
Night Swim
Cast
Based on the 2014 short film Night Swim is a horror-thriller film that follows a woman being terrorized by a spirit in her swimming pool. Kerry Condon and Wyatt Russell star in the film, handled by Atomic Monster and Blumhouse Productions.
