The fifth installment of the ‘Insidious’ horror film series titled ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ is all set to hit theaters including India on 7th July. Unlike the previous installments, this one has been directed by franchise veteran Patrick Wilson. There is no doubt that the ‘Insidious’ film series has turned out to be a profitable franchise and it has grossed over an impressive $540 million at the box office globally.
But despite its commercial success, is another ‘Insidious’ film really needed? Or the popular horror franchise has now reached a saturation point especially from a creative point of view? Let’s analyze.
The first ‘Insidious’ film came out back in the year 2010. It was directed by ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘Aquaman’ helmer James Wan and featured Patrick Wilson and Rose Bryne in the lead roles. The film gained decent feedback and popularity from audiences worldwide. The film received a critics’ score and audience score of 66% and 62%, respectively, on reviews aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.
However, the next three films of the ‘Insidious’ franchise failed to fetch a similar response from both critics and audiences. The next three films namely ‘Insidious: Chapter 2’, ‘Insidious: Chapter 3’, and ‘Insidious: The Last Key’ currently hold a critics’ score of 38%, 57%, and 33%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes. Moreover, their Rotten Tomatoes audience scores of 57%, 51%, and 50% were also not that impressive.
So, why should a film franchise with a rather declining critics’ score and audience appreciation get yet another installment? And not just that: After the forthcoming installment ‘Insidious: The Red Door’, another ‘Insidious’ film ‘Thread: An Insidious Tale’ is also in the works.
The only apparent reason for continuing the ‘Insidious’ film franchise is its commercial viability. All four ‘Insidious’ films until now have performed excellently at the box office and have surpassed their budgets in a big way. A similar box-office performance might be expected from the next film ‘Insidious: The Red Door’ also. But we still think the makers should now put an end to the franchise because from a creative point of view, the ‘Insidious’ franchise seems to be past its saturation point.
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