Barney-Inspired Horror Movie Smashes Box Office Debut Record

Published Aug 31, 2026, 9:31 AM EDT Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head. Buddy is making a lot of new friends at the box office. 2026's Buddy is a new horror-comedy directed by Casper Kelly (Too Many Cooks) that follows kids trapped on the set of a 1999 children's program that is hosted by a twisted, Barney-esque orange unicorn. The movie boasts a star-studded ensemble cast that includes Cristin Milioti (The Penguin), Topher Grace (That '70s Show), Clint Howard (Terrifier 3), and the voices of Keegan-Michael Key (The Super Mario Bros. Movies), Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille), Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), and Eric Bauza (Coyote vs. Acme). After its premiere at Sundance in January, it debuted in theaters on August 28. The Ultimate · Horror Quote Challenge Name That Horror Movie “They’re coming to get you, Barbara.” ☠1960s 🔪1970s 👻1980s 💀1990s 🎭2000s ENTER IF YOU DARE → 01 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“I am your number one fan.” ASingle White Female (1992) BCape Fear (1991) CMisery (1990) DFatal Attraction (1987) ✓ Correct! Annie Wilkes’s obsessive declaration to author Paul Sheldon in Misery — Kathy Bates won the Oscar for this role. ✗ Not quite — it’s Misery (1990). Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes delivers this line before things get very, very painful for her favorite author. NEXT → 02 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“We all go a little mad sometimes.” APeeping Tom (1960) BThe Birds (1963) CWhatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) DPsycho (1960) ✓ Correct! Norman Bates’s unsettling confession in Hitchcock’s Psycho — the film that invented the slasher. ✗ Not quite — it’s Psycho (1960). Norman Bates delivers this chilling line to Marion Crane before the shower scene changes cinema forever. NEXT → 03 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“Here’s Johnny!” AThe Amityville Horror (1979) BPoltergeist (1982) CThe Changeling (1980) DThe Shining (1980) ✓ Correct! Jack Nicholson’s terrifying ad-lib as he axes through the bathroom door in The Shining. ✗ Not quite — it’s The Shining (1980). Nicholson improvised this line while hacking through the door — Kubrick kept the cameras rolling. NEXT → 04 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“They’re all gonna laugh at you!” ACarrie (1976) BThe Exorcist (1973) CThe Omen (1976) DSuspiria (1977) ✓ Correct! Margaret White’s cruel warning to her daughter before prom night turns deadly in Carrie. ✗ Not quite — it’s Carrie (1976). Piper Laurie as Margaret White torments her telekinetic daughter with this prophetic warning. NEXT → 05 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you.” AFriday the 13th (1980) BChild’s Play (1988) CHellraiser (1987) DA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) ✓ Correct! The eerie children’s jump-rope rhyme that haunts the dreams of Elm Street. ✗ Not quite — it’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). The nursery rhyme warning of Freddy Krueger’s arrival. All five are iconic slashers, but only one invades your dreams. NEXT → 06 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“I want to play a game.” AHostel (2005) BSaw (2004) CThe Collector (2009) DCube (1997) ✓ Correct! Jigsaw’s signature greeting, delivered through his puppet Billy in Saw. ✗ Not quite — it’s Saw (2004). The Jigsaw Killer’s chilling invitation before his victims face impossible choices. NEXT → 07 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“It was the boogeyman.” ABlack Christmas (1974) BThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) CHalloween (1978) DWhen a Stranger Calls (1979) ✓ Correct! Laurie Strode’s terrified whisper to Dr. Loomis after surviving Michael Myers in Halloween. ✗ Not quite — it’s Halloween (1978). Laurie Strode whispers this to Dr. Loomis, who replies: “As a matter of fact, it was.” NEXT → 08 Which horror movie features this iconic line?“It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” ASe7en (1995) BAmerican Psycho (2000) CRed Dragon (2002) DThe Silence of the Lambs (1991) ✓ Correct! Buffalo Bill’s skin-crawling command to his captive in The Silence of the Lambs. ✗ Not quite — it’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Buffalo Bill delivers this disturbing line from his basement. All five films feature serial killers, but only one has this scene. REVEAL MY SCORE → The Body Count Your Survival Score 💀 / 8 Did you survive the horror quiz? ↻ SURVIVE AGAIN Roadside Attractions and Saban Films have announced that Buddy earned an estimated 3-day gross of $5.4 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, during which it played on just 1,258 screens. The independent horror movie doubled its projections and earned nearly as much as Ridley Scott's post-apocalyptic movie The Dog Stars, which debuted in more than two and a half times as many theaters, earning $8 million on 3,330 screens. Altogether, Buddy has earned the best domestic debut of 2026 so far for a movie that debuted on 1,800 screens or fewer. This record sees Buddy beating a number of notable titles that played in more theaters, including the Andrew Garfield fantasy movie The Magic Faraway Tree ($1.3 million in 1,611 theaters), Eli Roth's controversial horror-comedy Ice Cream Man ($2 million in 1,671 theaters), the Alan Ritchson action-thriller Motor City ($1.7 million in 1,600 theaters), the Hugh Jackman drama The Death of Robin Hood ($2.9 million in 1,762 theaters), Boots Riley's I Love Boosters ($3.8 million in 1,750 theaters), and the Renny Harlin shark movie Deep Water ($2.1 million in 1,675 theaters). Additional records that Buddy has set include earning Saban Films' highest-grossing opening weekend in history and Roadside Attractions' second highest-grossing (behind 2018's I Can Only Imagine, which debuted with $17.1 million in 1,629 theaters). This is primarily thanks to the movie activating Gen Z audiences and young millennials, as 83% of ticket buyers are under the age of 35. Below, read a statement on these box office records from Roadside Attractions' Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff and Saban Films' Jonathan Saba and Shanan Becker: We loved BUDDY the moment we saw the film at Sundance. We were blown away by the wildly imaginative worlds director Casper Kelly created with practical effects, and audiences are clearly responding to its authenticity and its gonzo - WTF - horror-comedy-thriller combination. This record-breaking opening weekend sees Buddy earning a solid debut per-screen average of $4,264, which puts it just slightly below 2026's Obsession (which debuted with a per-screen average of $6,576 and eventually grossed more than half a billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing horror movie of 2026 and the 10th highest-grossing 2026 movie in general at the time of writing). While Obsession had unprecedented audience retention that probably will not be replicated any time soon (it was the first movie since 1982's E.T. to earn more money each weekend for three consecutive weekends), Buddy has a strong chance of continuing to climb the charts. It is building strong word of mouth thanks to glowing reviews that have earned it a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 87%. Audiences are responding similarly strongly, giving it 78% on the same platform. While the budget of Buddy has not been revealed, nor the amount that Roadside Attractions and Saban Films spent to acquire it out of Sundance, it seems highly likely that the project had a low budget and is thus set up to earn a major return on investment by the end of its theatrical run. Enjoy ScreenRant's box office coverage? Click below to sign up for my weekly box office newsletter (make sure to check "Box Office" in your preferences) and get exclusive analysis, predictions, and more: Sign Up Release Date September 4, 2026 Runtime 95 minutes Director Casper Kelly Cast Keegan-Michael Key Buddy the Unicorn (voice) Writers Casper Kelly, Jamie King Producers Drew Sykes, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Tracy Rosenblum, Tyler Davidson