Real goths prefer ‘Coraline’ to ‘The Crow’ reboot, apparently

I never expected to see the 3D re-release of Coraline going up against a remake of The Crow at the 2024 box office, but here we are. And the numbers don’t lie.

Look, I’m not one to revel in a film tanking at the box office, but things are looking pretty abysmal for the 2024 remake of The Crow starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs. The original film, which is perhaps best remembered for its behind-the-scenes tragedy, gained something of a cult following upon its release in 1994. And from the sound of it, Rupert Sanders’ new take on the story has failed to recapture that same level of intrigue—both commercially and critically.

Instead, The Crow is being one-upped by a claymation classic that came out nearly 15 years ago: Coraline.

Coraline 15th anniversary celebration tops The Crow at the late summer box office

Gothic romantic drama with an A-list cast, or LAIKA Studios’ Coraline? It’s a box office showdown I personally didn’t have on my 2024 bingo card, but according to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter, the answer is pretty clear. The Crow opened to a disappointing $4.6 million haul over the weekend against a production budget of $50 million, while the 3D re-release of Coraline, which first hit theaters in 2009, grossed $5.1 million. It might have a PG-13 rating, but Coraline is still a horror movie—change my mind.

I’d argue that The Crow and Coraline, in a sense, have similar target audiences, a.k.a. victims of “gifted kid burnout” who probably listen to a hypnotic amount of Paramore. However, it seems like the new reboot of The Crow simply the lacks the style and panache of its ’90s predecessor, and when going up against a certified classic like Coraline, I get how it fell short—especially with Halloween on the not-so-distant horizon. Critics haven’t been especially kind to the 2024 adaptation, either (it currently sits at a 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes), which might be scaring audiences off.

I’m not entirely surprised to see Coraline bringing in the big bucks, as re-releases have been reliable moneymakers throughout much of the past year. In April, the 45th anniversary re-release of Ridley Scott’s Alien snagged a spot in the box office top 10 (per Forbes), while Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’s 25th anniversary grossed over $15 million worldwide. At this rate, re-releases might just be the future of moviegoing, which is … kind of not great, really?

Is the Neil Gaiman backlash ruining Coraline for fans?

Still, there is some controversy surrounding Coraline in 2024. Neil Gaiman, who penned the Coraline novel back in 2002, has been under fire due to a series of sexual assault allegations, but given the success of the movie’s re-release, I feel like audiences are pulling a death-of-the-author thing here. After all, Coraline was directed by animation legend Henry Selick (based on a co-authored script from Gaiman, but I digress), making it perhaps somewhat easier for fans to separate the art from the artist.

Plus, Gaiman has—for a good reason—been missing from the re-release promotions, and no one appears to be boycotting the film’s theatrical rerun if these numbers are anything to go by. I feel like it’s safe to say that Coraline is considered to be more of a LAIKA movie than a Neil Gaiman adaptation, so fans might not feel as reluctant to support the production team and Coraline‘s distributors.

As for The Crow, there’s still time for things to turn around as it continues its theatrical run, as Coraline probably won’t stick around on the big screen for much longer. And with the Labor Day weekend coming up, maybe prospective moviegoers will have a change of heart. Ultimately, I can’t fault people for wanting to see Coraline instead (it rules). But maybe consider giving 2024’s The Crow a chance?