Tag: David F. Sandberg

Sony made the leap to cinema with this adaptation of a peculiar horror video game that is now coming to streaming services

Sony is increasingly betting on synergies. It’s no secret. Its two main battlefields right now are anime and video games, and its idea is to exploit them as intimately as possible, especially after seeing how well its major video game IPs can perform when brought to the big screen. Something it has only done so far with live-action movies. Because all of Sony’s big video game movies have been successful. Perhaps not among critics and certainly not among fans of these IPs, but they have managed to work in what […]

Sony is increasingly betting on synergies. It’s no secret. Its two major battlefields right now are anime and video games, and its idea is to exploit them as closely as possible, especially after seeing how well its major video game IPs can perform when brought to the big screen. Something it has only done so far with live-action films.

Because all the movies based on Sony’s major video games have been successful. Perhaps not among critics and certainly not among fans of these IPs, but they have managed to perform in what matters most to executives: making good box office numbers. This is also true for their latest approach, which, while not the best movie of 2025, is quite better than its also recent remake. We are talking about the film adaptation of Until Dawn.

A movie that has successfully adapted the video game

Adapting the 2015 video game by Supermassive Games, the original already had everything to be a movie. After all, Until Dawn put us in the shoes of eight young adults who went on vacation to the Blackwood Mountains where, due to various circumstances, they found themselves being pursued by a serial killer. Closely following the premises of slasher horror films, the game made us make decisions that ultimately led to the survival or death of our characters, in a butterfly effect that changed the game based on what we decided to do at any given moment.

While its non-linear format and the possibility that several, all, or none of the characters survive do not fit well with cinema, the fact that it is heavily inspired by horror films from the 70s and 80s does. This is something that can be seen in the movie.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, the director of the two Shazam movies and Annabelle: Creation, the film starts from the same premise as the original video game, with a twist to justify everything that happens in it. We won’t reveal it here, as we want to avoid spoilers, but it is a very clever way to justify the constant loops of the original game and explains everything that happens up to this point in the movie, giving it a very unique style and a somewhat different feel compared to other contemporary horror films.

Costing only 15 million dollars, the movie was a fairly modest success. Grossing 54 million at the box office, the film performed especially well in the United States and Canada, demonstrating that it remains the main territory for this type of films.

Unfortunately for Sony, the movie was a bit of a disaster in terms of critical reception and public opinion. With a 52% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 47 on Metacritic, the movie is rated worse than well. And considering it received a C+ on CinemaScore on a scale from A+ to F and a 63% positive rating on PostTrak from the audience, it doesn’t seem like a movie that will receive approval for a sequel. Even if, for a part of the audience that includes us, it is an enjoyable movie under the right conditions: a silly afternoon with plenty of popcorn and a good soda.

Moreover, it’s easy for you to get it. Now more than ever. The movie is now available to watch on Movistar Plus+ and to rent on AppleTV, making it easier than ever to watch it on a lazy afternoon. And if you do it knowing what you’re in for, it could very well be a good afternoon.

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Until Dawn has flopped at the box office, failing to connect with the audience

Sony released the movie Until Dawn on April 25, coinciding with the premiere of A Minecraft Movie, making this weekend a significant moment for video game adaptations to film. However, Until Dawn has generated considerably lower revenues compared to its competitor, earning 18 million dollars worldwide, of which 8 million dollars are from the United States, while A Minecraft Movie reached 22.7 million dollars just in the U.S. and over 800 million dollars globally. A […]

Sony released the movie Until Dawn on April 25, coinciding with the premiere of A Minecraft Movie, making this weekend a significant moment for video game adaptations to film. However, Until Dawn has generated considerably lower revenues compared to its competitor, earning 18 million dollars worldwide, of which 8 million dollars are from the United States, while A Minecraft Movie reached 22.7 million dollars just in the U.S. and over 800 million dollars globally.

A movie that is not dominating the box office

The movie Until Dawn has a production budget of 15 million dollars, a fact that places it in a position of financial vulnerability, given the expectations surrounding its box office. Although the opening figures were around the projections of between 8 and 10 million dollars in the U.S., the result is at the lower end of these estimates.

One of the talking points surrounding the film is that the original game writers, Larry Fessenden and Graham Reznick, are not credited. Fessenden, who had previously proposed a video game adaptation to Sony, expressed his surprise at this omission, noting that “there is no courtesy in the entertainment world”.

The final script was written by Blair Butler and Gary Dauberman, resulting in a film that features different characters and locations from the original game, including a time loop mechanic not present in the original work. The film is directed by David F. Sandberg, known for Shazam 2, who admitted to feeling uncertain about tackling another project based on an intellectual property after receiving negative reviews for his previous work with DC.

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Until Dawn has faced many technical challenges in its jump to film

David F. Sandberg, the director of the highly anticipated movie Until Dawn, has shared some of the biggest technical challenges he faced during production, especially related to the costumes and the more violent scenes. With a cast of young people trapped in a time loop and pursued by terrifying threats, filming required meticulous planning, according to Sandberg. He highlighted that the costume of one of the main characters, Clover, needed up to 90 replicas of her outfit due to the multiple stages of the story and the need for additional costumes for action scenes. “It was really difficult to find so many pieces […]

David F. Sandberg, the director of the highly anticipated movie Until Dawn, has shared some of the biggest technical challenges he faced during production, especially related to costumes and the more violent scenes. With a cast of young people trapped in a time loop and pursued by terrifying threats, filming required meticulous planning, according to Sandberg. He highlighted that the costume of one of the main characters, Clover, needed up to 90 replicas of her outfit due to the multiple stages of the story and the need for additional costumes for action scenes. “It was really difficult to find so many pieces of clothing,” he commented.

A movie with very particular setting problems

In addition to the logistical problems with the dressing rooms, the filming of the bloodiest sequences was scheduled for the last days of shooting. “It had to be that way because we destroyed the set,” Sandberg joked, referring to the scene in the bathroom, which was covered in blood. Despite the setbacks, he believes that sequence turned out to be the best of all.

Inspired by the video game of the same name released in 2015, Until Dawn follows a group of twenty-somethings who must face terrifying creatures, from witches to serial killers, every time the night repeats. Sandberg has incorporated various influences from horror cinema, including found footage, which enriches the narrative. This approach allowed him to explore ideas he had wanted to delve into for a long time, such as the “worm in the face” scene.

The movie, which also features a cameo by Sandberg, originally included a crucial scene that could not be filmed due to lack of time. “I can’t wait for the audience to see Until Dawn, which premieres on April 25,” concluded the director, anticipating the reception from the public and critics.

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