Brand New 21%-Rated Horror Movie Is Suddenly a Major Box Office Hit

Summary:

• A recent horror movie suddenly rose to the box office top after landing only 21% from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Based on the 1992 novel, the film follows a group of friends that unwillingly unleashed an ancient evil after having violated the sacred rule of Tarot readings.
• According to one of the movie’s actors, the storyline’s unique and very relevant perspective is what eventually turned the film into a commercial success.

Though nobody seemed to be in favor of the brand new horror Tarot, things turned out to work quite well for the movie since its official theatrical release on May 3, at least partially.

Having been entirely crushed by critics and thus landing a miserable score of only 21% on Rotten Tomatoes, Tarot was nonetheless very quick to become an unexpected glowing success in the box office at home and worldwide.

Based on Nicholas Adams’ 1992 novel Horoscope, Tarot follows a group of friends who accidentally violate the most important rule of Tarot readings and use someone else’s Tarot deck.

Unwillingly they set some gruesome evil free and then embark on a race with death to discover the deck’s mystery until each one of them dies.

Upon its release less than two weeks ago, the flick starring Harriet Slater and Jacob Batalon never made it to impress the critics, but instead found some love among the moviegoers.

According to the most recent data coming from The Numbers, Tarot has already grossed more than $20 million, 12 of which were garnered in the domestic box office, against the initial budget of $8 million. The movie’s success with the viewers is also proved by its relatively decent rating of 57% from the audience, compared to what’s been attributed by the critics.

Tarot’s star Jacob Batalon has previously stated in his interview with CBR that the movie’s concept is far from being something that most of the modern horrors are about.

According to the actor, “a lot of young people today are into star signs, they're into Tarot, they're into palm reading, they're into all these things”, so the film’s distinctive storyline is what most likely contributed to Tarot’s impressive performance in the box office.

You can still see Tarot in the theaters worldwide.

Sources: The Numbers, CBR