The Nun 2, which recently released in theatres, has been enjoying a fairly successful run at the global box office. The film has minted $150 million in a little under two weeks of release. The Nun 2 box office numbers are an indicator of the horror genre strengthening its hold over the audience. The groundwork for this, however, was laid several years back.

3 things you need to know

• There have been 71 horror film releases at the global box office this year alone.
• Of these, many have been continuing installments of franchises – Insidious: The Red Door and The Nun 2 being notable examples.
• The Nun 2 has collected almost ₹25 crore in India across its two-week run, despite releasing alongside Jawan.

1999 horror film multiplied profit margins manifold 

The horror film in question was a 1999 release, re-introducing a filmmaking technique that was lost on movie makers at the time. The film’s impact on pop culture in terms of horror films was strong enough to turn the technique into its very own sub-genre. The independent horror film was made on a budget of just ₹49 lakh and went on to mint ₹2000 crore at the box office – a formidable achievement.

(The Blair Witch Project released in 1999 | Image: @Estradamyers/X)

The independent horror film being referred to here is The Blair Witch Project. It single-handedly revived the found-footage genre owing to its impactful direction. The film follows the story of three filmmakers who go for a hike to film a documentary about a local myth, following which they go missing. A year later, their equipment turns up which carries clues to what went wrong.

The Blair Witch Project was a trailblazer for its time

The Blair Witch Project was the 10th highest-grossing film in the US at the time, being declared a sleeper hit. The film was shot in just 8 days. But creators Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez took more than 8 months to edit it. Made on a budget of $60,000, the film made $248 million at the box office – for this, it was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for Top Budget: Box Office Ratio. The numbers essentially mean that for every $1 the makers spent, they earned $10,931. The Blair Witch Project, almost 25 years since its release, continues to be a cult classic.