Haunted Mansionis out this week, but the upcoming horror comedy fromDisneymay suffer from the Barbenheimer effect and fall hard at the box office, especially now that the first reviews are out and things are not looking good for Justin Siemen’s film.
With a star-studded cast that includes names like LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVitto, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto, Winona Ryder and Dan Levy, the movie is based on one of the most popular attractions from Disney’s theme parks, one that in fact has already been adapted to the big screen before withEddie Murphyas the main star.
Haunted Mansionfollows the story of a single mother who buys a huge house for her and her son to live in. But once they’re there, she understands why she got such a good deal for it, since the house is haunted. She’ll hire a group of supernatural experts to help her get rid of the spirits living in the house, but it may not be as easy as everyone thought.
As first reviews started to come out,Haunted Mansionalready shows aRotten Tomatoes score of50%, which may indicate another huge flop for Disney, especially since the movie will have to compete directly withBarbieandOppenheimer,with different target audience but still a hard thing to do.
Related:Is The Haunted Mansion Remake Proof of Disney’s Fevered Obsession?
Here’s What Critics Are Saying About Haunted Mansion
The Wrap’s Kristen Lopez shared:
“Overall, Haunted Mansion is a fun summer throwback to the likes of 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Inventive fun for every member of the family with a phenomenal lead performance by Stanfield.”
Nick Schager from The Daily Beast wrote:
“It may abbreviate its predecessor’s title, butHaunted Mansion(in theaters July 28) is just as busy, corny, and predictable as its 2003 iteration—as well as destined to swiftly pass into the cinematic afterlife that is both convenience store bargain bins and cluttered streaming platform libraries.”
The Washington Post’s Lucas Trevor said:
“With muddy CGI, far too much story for even its two-hour run time and an emotional heart in cardiac arrest, Haunted Mansion simply doesn’t hold together. What should have been a light summer romp is rarely funny, never scary and a boring mess.”
Liz Shannon Miller from Consequence shared:
“ButHaunted Mansionuses its existence as an opportunity to tell a story about life, death, and what it means to let go of someone you love — yet another reminder that in the right hands, previously existing intellectual property isn’t necessarily a roadblock for storytellers. Sometimes, it can be the car that makes the journey possible.”
L.A Times' Justin Chang wrote:
“Like the ride, the movie is a rickety, silly-sinister vehicle that occasionally stalls and loses momentum.”
Peter Debruge from Variety said:
“The more this overlong movie relies on ghosts, the less engaging it becomes, and though Simien presents a few optical illusions — such as endless hallways and a stretching room modeled after the ride’s trompe l’oeil antechamber — the ideas are more interesting than the execution.”
The Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck shared:
“Woefully short on the necessary laughs and scares that would have made it a potential blockbuster franchise like the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Haunted Mansion only makes you ponder how much better it might have turned out had Guillermo del Toro, who was originally attached to the project, remained creatively involved.”
