28 Years Later has just been released in cinemas, and everyone is eagerly waiting to see how it performs financially. However, there’s a limit to how profitable zombie films can get, as only one title in the history of live-action zombie movies has crossed the $100 million mark, with only a few others reaching over $50 million, excluding the Resident Evil series. Yet, thanks to movies like Night of the Living Dead, zombie films have significantly impacted the horror genre.
Despite expectations, a zombie movie blockbuster that earned substantial box office revenue didn’t originate from the “28 Days” franchise, but rather from the 2013 release, “World War Z”. This film capitalized on Brad Pitt’s fame and its highly-regarded source material to achieve impressive box office success.
How Big Was World War Z?
The tumultuous production of “World War Z” has become a well-known tale in Hollywood, with Brad Pitt’s first major foray into blockbuster films encountering significant hurdles. The film’s challenging shoot, particularly in finding a satisfying third act, added to the drama. Extensive reshoots were carried out to ensure a coherent conclusion for “World War Z,” leading to an inflated budget surpassing $200 million. With its steep production cost and negative pre-release publicity, it seemed that “World War Z” was in deep trouble financially when it hit theaters on June 21, 2013.
Interestingly enough, contrary to expectations, the film World War Z became a significant revenue generator instead. In the U.S. alone, it raked in an astounding $202.41 million, a substantial earnings for any movie released in 2013, especially one featuring zombies. To put this into perspective, the highest grossing live-action zombie film before that was Zombieland, with a domestic gross of $75.59 million. With its more broadly appealing PG-13 rating and premium ticket prices for digital 3D/IMAX 3D screenings, World War Z outperformed not only Zombieland, but all other zombie films in terms of earnings in North America. Globally, the movie grossed $540 million, highlighting the impressive nature of its box office performance.
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Regardless of Brad Pitt’s established fame, the film World War Z stands as his most prominent role in terms of domestic success to date. It was one of only three films where he starred that surpassed $180 million in North America, with Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Ocean’s Eleven being the others. World War Z wasn’t just a profitable zombie movie; it also attracted a larger-than-usual audience. However, what truly set World War Z apart from other zombie films was its extraordinary success.
World War Z Was Much More Accessible Than Typical Zombie Films
The PG-13 rating of World War Z was crucial, as it enabled the movie to surpass other zombie films rated R. This allowed teenagers to watch the thrilling zombie chaos without needing an adult companion, unlike most movies where only those over 17 are the main audience. Additionally, World War Z belonged to the action genre, making it more appealing and approachable for a wider range of viewers compared to the gory horror or horror/comedy genres that zombie films often fall under.
The primary focus in the promotion of World War Z wasn’t on highlighting its zombie aspect or using typical zombie movie visuals. Instead, the “Z” in the title and conversations with the cast and crew made it apparent that the hordes of people depicted in posters and trailers were indeed zombies. In contrast, trailers for movies like Zombieland and Warm Bodies emphasized undead creatures groaning for brains or with decaying skin on their faces. The trailers and posters for World War Z presented less gory, “grounded” zombies from a distance, leaving it somewhat unclear whether Brad Pitt and his family were being attacked by zombies or simply dealing with people who had gone mad. This was a more vague portrayal.
Consequently, this expensive film appealed to individuals who weren’t fans of “The Walking Dead” or “George A. Romero” films, leading to its higher-than-expected box office earnings. The presence of Brad Pitt (a more prominent star than typical for a zombie movie) certainly contributed to this success, as did its prime mid-June release date that capitalized on both weekdays during summer and holidays like the 4th of July weekend. Despite numerous issues in “World War Z’s” production, it excelled financially. In doing so, it reached financial milestones that other zombie films such as “28 Years Later” could only aspire to achieve.
World War Z is now streaming on Paramount+.
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2025-06-17 22:41