Jason Blum and James Wan In Talks to Combine Horror Companies
Two of Horror’s biggest names may very well be coming together.
The New York Times has broken the news that producer Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions is planning to merge with Atomic Monster, the production outlet founded by director/producer James Wan. Should this occur, it would potentially create a mega horror company run by the men who have elevated the genre in recent years with smashes like Get Out and the Conjuring franchise.
Although both deal in horror and other genres, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster each have distinct styles that can complement one another rather than complicate things in comparison to other major mergers in Hollywood. Blum’s company has gained a reputation for making incredibly low budget(by major release standards) horror films without sacrificing quality. This has led to a near perfect level of success with franchises like Insidious, The Purge and the recent Halloween trilogy along with director driven projects like Get Out, The Invisible Man and The Black Phone. Wan’s studio has also been behind some horror gems like The Conjuring and its sequels and spin offs and Malignant but has also made the jump to bigger properties like Mortal Kombat and the billion dollar grossing Aquaman and its sequel.
Combining both companies may be a surprise to some but when you really boil down to it, it shouldn’t be treated as such. Wan and Blum have worked together on the Insidious series and will be producing the upcoming sci-fi horror movie M3gan. The thriller about a creepy AI doll has already gotten buzz on social media leading to its January 6 theatrical release. Wan’s first look deal with Warner Bros ended this summer and the industry was wondering where he would end up. Should this deal go through, Atomic Monster would join Blumhouse’s first look deal at Universal.
In a sign of how both filmmakers respect one another, Blumhouse and Atomic Monster will still run as separate labels that will give both companies the ability to maintain the identities they built over the years. Yet it would also both to increase their film and television output while also making the leap to other forms of entertainment such as video games, theme park attractions and podcasts. Blum’s smart business model combined with Wan’s filmmaking vision and eye for talent has the potential to make this new merged venture the Marvel Studios of horror movies taking the genre to even bigger heights never thought imaginable.
Outside of comic book films, horror has been the most durable genre that can consistently bring crowds to the big screen compared to the hit and miss ratios of other genres. 2022 has been particularly excellent with Scream, The Black Phone and Smile raking up massive profits and acclaim. Even smaller scale flicks like Barbarian and Ti West’s double feature of X and Pearl have done well for themselves helping to extend this new golden age of horror that these two men started.
Although the deal may at first look bad as it makes Blumhouse even bigger than competing studios, it may end up lifting all boats in the end as the potential success will encourage other studios to invest in horror films and give fans more choices in theatres and their living rooms. Blum and Wan are arguably the most recognizable names in horror cinema today and fans have come to trust their style so bringing them together may open new doors for the genre. Exciting and scary days are ahead to be sure.