A limited release became an expanded theatrical release when the trailer for Good Boy garnered viral attention online in August, a decision that came in the wake of Google searches for the film spiking and the official trailer passing 2 million views at the time. IFC brought the film to 1,650 theaters across the United States this past weekend, and we’ve got the results.
Director Ben Leonberg’s Good Boy, which traps a canine protagonist inside a haunted house and tells the tale from the dog’s perspective, opened in the #9 spot on the domestic box office charts, scaring up $2.2 million across those 1,650 theaters during its debut weekend.
As Variety notes, that’s actually IFC’s “second-best debut after 2024 hit Late Night With The Devil ($2.8 million).” That horror film went on to make $10 million at the domestic box office.
“At no. 9 this weekend, it will be parent IFC Entertainment Group’s third best opening weekend ever including RLJE’s topper Clown in a Cornfield,” Variety also notes in today’s report.
Given it’s a low budget film that had been set for a limited theatrical release just a couple months ago, this has to be considered a win for IFC. And the theatrical release will boost Good Boy‘s profile to allow for more success at home on VOD, with no date set at this time.
So does the dog survive? We’ve got the answer if you’re okay with the spoilers…
In Good Boy, “A loyal dog moves to a rural family home with his owner Todd, only to discover supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. As dark entities threaten his human companion, the brave pup must fight to protect the one he loves most.”
Ben Leonberg makes his feature directorial debut from a script he co-wrote with Alex Cannon. The film stars Indy, Ben Leonberg’s real-life canine best friend, with the cast also including indie horror stalwart Larry Fessenden, Shane Jensen, and Arielle Friedman.
Meagan Navarro writes in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “Good Boy is packed with shadowed corners, flickering lights, tormented ghosts, and even doggy nightmares, but it’s not really a haunted house story. Leonberg crafts a thoughtful, unnerving, and heartrending portrayal of how utterly terrifying it can be for a dog when his whole world is upended.”
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