Blumhouse Founder Jason Blum Breaks Ground on Horror Museum Amid Box Office Challenges

Horror producer Jason Blum, founder of Blumhouse Productions, symbolically broke ground today on Blumhouse Space, a horror-themed museum at the historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, as the company navigates a period of recent box office disappointments.

The ceremony, held on October 8, 2024, featured Blum alongside iconic characters from his films, including M3GAN and Babyface from “Happy Death Day.” The expansion of the Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King’s “The Shining,” will house artifacts from Blumhouse’s extensive library of horror films. Blumhouse has generated over $6 billion in ticket sales with franchises like “Insidious,” “The Purge,” and “Paranormal Activity,” but recent releases like “Night Swim,” “Imaginary,” and “M3GAN 2.0” underperformed at the box office. This comes as other horror films, such as “Weapons” and “Sinners,” have achieved critical and commercial success with larger budgets.

Blum acknowledged the recent setbacks, including losing a bid to reboot “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” to A24, stating, “I like taking IP that people are cynical about and turning expectations on their head.” Despite these challenges, Blum remains optimistic, citing upcoming sequels to “Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “The Black Phone” as potential commercial successes. He also highlighted the recent merger with Atomic Monster, the production company behind “The Conjuring” universe, as a strategic move to strengthen the company’s position in the genre. The success of Blumhouse has redefined low-budget horror filmmaking, proving that commercially viable scares don’t require massive investments.

“A studio is only as strong as its creative collaborators,” said Donna Langley, Chairman of Universal Entertainment, emphasizing Blum’s innovative approach. Blum also addressed the evolving landscape of the film industry, noting the impact of AI and the importance of embracing new technologies ethically and legally. He also confirmed Blumhouse is not currently for sale, despite ongoing speculation. For more on the evolving film industry, see the The Wrap.

Blum stated he will continue to pursue opportunities to revitalize classic horror franchises, specifically mentioning “Friday the 13th” and Freddy Krueger as “white whales.”