The First Omen has become a streaming success after its lackluster box office performance earlier this year. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, the prequel to Richard Donner’s 1976 film, The Omen, stars Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, an American woman who joins a convent in Rome before uncovering a dark conspiracy to bring about the birth of pure evil. The First Omen reviews were mostly positive from critics, but the film struggled at the box office and has only earned $53.8 million worldwide.

Now, a new streaming popularity chart shared by Reelgood reveals that The First Omen was the sixth most popular title on streaming in the U.S. for the week of May 30 – June 5. The horror prequel, which is available on Hulu, beats out the likes of Atlas, Evil, and Tires, but comes in behind The Acolyte, Dark Matter, and, in the number one spot, Godzilla Minus One. Check out the full top 10 chart below:

The First Omen’s Theatrical Reception Explained

The Horror Prequel Was Praised By Critics

As seen in the chart below, The First Omen enjoys a respectable 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating a clearly favorable reception from the larger critical community. The film was praised for its moments of genuine terror, and has generally been celebrated as a refreshing new start for the classic horror franchise. Previous sequels in The Omen saga, by contrast, weren’t particularly well received.

While not quite as high as the critics’ rating, The First Omen‘s audience score sits at 69%, suggesting that most general movie-goers enjoyed the movie as well. Unfortunately, this positive reception just didn’t translate to box office performance. Made on an estimated budget of $30 million, the film is likely still several million away from breaking even, and that doesn’t take marketing costs into consideration.

Horror has historically been very reliable as a genre, with movies often being relatively inexpensive to make with a high return on investment. This has certainly been shifting over the last year or so, but The First Omen had other factors working against it as well. It’s relatively expensive, firstly, but, as was also seen with the poorly reviewed The Exorcist: Believer last year, audiences just aren’t all that interested in sequels/ prequels to decades-old horror franchises. Clearly, however, The First Omen is now finding an audience on streaming.

Will There Be Another Omen Movie?

It’s Unclear What The Franchise’s Future Is

While the generally warm reception from critics is a positive sign, the box office performance of The First Omen could halt plans for any further expansion of the franchise. Box office isn’t everything, however, and it’s certainly possible that the film’s performance on VOD and streaming will eventually push the project further into the black. Specific figures in these areas are not typically released, though, and it’s much more challenging to gauge just how successful a film is when looking at metrics other than box office.

Financial situation aside, The First Omen‘s ending means it’s not clear what another installment in the franchise would look like. Without delving too far into spoilers, the film is a prequel to Donner’s 1976 movie, and the story more or less ends by teeing up the events of that film. There isn’t really room to make a sequel to The First Omen since the original trilogy of movies already serves as a continuation of that story.

Related

The First Omen Has A Major Sequel Problem (& The Solution Is A Terrible Idea)

The First Omen is a prequel to the classic horror franchise, but the approach the movie is taking is going to make it difficult to mount any sequels.

The next movie in the Omen franchise, then, could remake the original film and reimagine Damien’s story for a new generation of audiences. This approach, however, as seen with the 2006 remake, certainly comes with a lot of risk, and it would be challenging to top the 1976 version. If another installment in the Omen franchise does end up moving forward, it might be best to tell more of a peripheral tale that’s disconnected from Damien’s story. This comes with its own set of problems, since Damien really is the centerpiece of the whole series.

A New Omen Movie Would Have To Make One Key Change

Sydney Sweeney’s 2024 Horror Movie Shows The Path Forward

Assuming a compelling story could be worked out for a new Omen movie, there’s clearly one big change that would have to be made with any new installment. After The First Omen struggled to recoup its $30 million budget, any new movie will have to cost considerably less. If another installment could be made for, say, $15 million, the bar for success would be far lower.

Sydney Sweeney’s new horror movie, Immaculate, which features a storyline that is remarkably similar to The First Omen‘s, had a budget of only about $9 million. That film has now made close to $27 million worldwide, making it a success. It’s entirely possible that The First Omen won’t be the last movie in the franchise, but whatever project comes next evidently has some key challenges to overcome.

Source: Reelgood

The First Omen

The First Omen is a horror film from director Arkasha Stevenson that acts as a prequel to the 1976 film The Omen. The film follows a young woman who goes to Rome to become a nun but begins to question her faith after encountering a terrifying darkness that aims to spawn an evil incarnate.

Director

Arkasha Stevenson

Release Date

April 5, 2024

Studio(s)

Phantom Four

Distributor(s)

20th Century

Writers

Ben Jacoby , Tim Smith , Arkasha Stevenson , Keith Thomas

Cast

Nell Tiger Free , Tawfeek Barhom , sonia braga , Ralph Ineson , Bill Nighy

Franchise(s)

The Omen

Expand