Director Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation Doctor Sleep bombed at the box office, but deserved much better treatment from audiences. One thing a lot of horror fans complain about nowadays is a glut of remakes and reboots that offer nothing audiences haven’t seen onscreen before, and films opting to go the PG-13 route, not fully embracing the potential for violence and disturbing material an R-rating offers. While it is based on a book, Doctor Sleep offered horror devotees a story that hadn’t been adapted before, a talented cast, no shortage of R-rated material, and a chance to revisit some locations and characters from the beloved movie version of The Shining.
Doctor Sleep’s movie adaptation even went out of its way to cater to fans of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, choosing to stick to the movie’s version of events over how King himself wrote the story. Given that, it was a minor miracle when King ended up loving the film, and saying that Doctor Sleep had served to redeem Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining in his eyes. Critics enjoyed Doctor Sleep as well, leading the sequel to be certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a 77% score.
Yet, despite good reviews, raves from Stephen King himself, an attachment to a horror classic, and positive notes from those who actually went to see it, Doctor Sleep took a long dirt nap at the box office. Industry projections had it earning somewhere around $25 million for its domestic opening, only to see the film tank with only $14 million, losing to the Roland Emmerich war film Midway, which it seems the vast majority of people have already forgotten exists. We previously made some guesses as to why Doctor Sleep bombed, but one thing is clear: it shouldn’t have.
Doctor Sleep Didn’t Deserve To Bomb
Writer/director Mike Flanagan has quickly become one of the most trustworthy names in horror, thanks to films like Oculus, Hush, and prior rave-worthy Stephen King adaptation Gerald’s Game. He brings his usual style and lurking sense of dread to Doctor Sleep, gets great performances out of his cast, crafts some amazing visuals, and makes full use of the film’s fairly large budget. Most consider Doctor Sleep to already be in the upper echelon of Stephen King adaptations, and many would hold it up as a worthy sequel to The Shining. Doctor Sleep should’ve been a big hit, continuing the current resurgence in King-based films. Instead, it’s poised to cost Warner Bros. upwards of $30 million.
There was no other big horror competition when Doctor Sleep hit theaters, and by all rights, the barely talked about Midway shouldn’t have even been in the conversation to win that weekend. For some reason, horror fans and Stephen King fans chose to stay home, and keep staying home, as Doctor Sleep ended its worldwide box office run with a measly $71 million. It’s a baffling turn of events, considering just how positive word of mouth on Doctor Sleep has been from those who’ve actually seen it. Sure, it’s not a flawless film, and perhaps indulges a bit too much in The Shining fan service, but Doctor Sleep deserved way better than it got. Hopefully the coming director’s cut on home video earns Flangan’s film the fanbase it should’ve had to begin with.
More: Doctor Sleep: Biggest Changes The Movie Makes To Stephen King’s Book
