Halloween is over. And Blumhouse just couldn’t wait. Despite Black Phone 2 still creeping around in theaters, the studio’s decided to hang up early and send the hit horror sequel straight to digital tomorrow, November 4. That’s only 18 days after its October 17 release.
The move comes after a sluggish Halloween weekend at the box office, the lowest-grossing one of the year, in fact, with Black Phone 2 and Regretting You neck-and-neck for the top spot at around $8 million each. Blumhouse’s decision to drop the movie to digital so soon is a little shocking, considering it’s already earned over $100 million worldwide on a $30 million budget. You’d think a solid mid-budget horror hit would get more time to haunt theaters.
Directed by Scott Derrickson, who also helmed the first Black Phone and Doctor Strange, the sequel picks up with Finn (Mason Thames), now 17 and still reeling from his childhood abduction. His younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) starts receiving calls in her dreams from beyond the grave. This time, the ghostly warnings point toward a winter camp called Alpine Lake, where three boys are being stalked by a familiar evil presence.
Ethan Hawke returns as The Grabber, more menacing than ever, and the cast expands with Demián Bichir (The Nun), Arianna Rivas (A Working Man), Maev Beaty (Beau is Afraid), and Graham Abbey (Under the Banner of Heaven). Derrickson co-wrote the screenplay with long-time collaborator C. Robert Cargill, once again adapting a short story by Joe Hill—Stephen King’s son, for those keeping score.
Meagan Navarro summed it up best in her review: “Black Phone 2 doesn’t just take a bigger, bolder approach; it’s a complete subgenre shift.” She praised its “tremendous cast” and “strong vision,” adding that it actually manages to top the first film.
When it lands on PVOD tomorrow, Black Phone 2 will be available on digital across Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and YouTube for $24.99 to buy or $19.99 to rent for 48 hours. For physical collectors, the movie hits 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on December 23—just in time for Christmas, because nothing says “holiday spirit” like a vengeful child killer calling from the afterlife.
The Blu-ray release packs a decent amount of extras for horror fans. You’ll get audio commentary from Derrickson himself, seven deleted scenes, and featurettes like Dialed In: The Cast of Black Phone 2, A Story Carved in Ice, and Frozen in Time—each offering a look behind the chilling production and the creative chaos it took to bring this frozen nightmare to life.
Whether Universal’s move to push the film to digital so fast is a clever strategy or a hasty retreat remains to be seen. But with Black Phone 2 scaring up solid numbers and decent reviews (it’s sitting at 72% on Rotten Tomatoes), Blumhouse might just be testing how much faster audiences are willing to answer the call at home.
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