‘The Mortuary Assistant’: Video Game Adaptation Turns Limited Release Into $450K Box Office Win!
On the heels of Iron Lung, another video game adaptation has quietly found success in extremely limited theatrical release: Epic Pictures’ The Mortuary Assistant, a feature film based on DreadXP’s cult-hit horror game created by Brian Clarke.
As of this writing, the film adaptation of The Mortuary Assistant has earned more than $450,000 during its limited theatrical run and is projected to reach around $475,000 before it arrives on Shudder on March 27.
While Iron Lung launched in roughly 2,374 theaters, the film adaptation of The Mortuary Assistant, directed by Jeremiah Kipp, took a far more modest approach when it debuted on February 13 through indie theatrical distributor Seismic Releasing. The indie horror film opened in just 208 theaters, positioning it as a limited, event-style release rather than a traditional nationwide rollout. Despite the dramatically smaller footprint, the film still managed to generate $450,000 at the domestic box office, demonstrating strong turnout for a niche horror title with a targeted theatrical run ahead of its streaming release. This is a huge win!
With continued media coverage and strong fan interest, the film is also expanding onto additional screens, including a new theatrical engagement in St. Louis beginning this Friday, helping sustain its theatrical run in the weeks leading up to its Shudder release.
As Epic Pictures/Dread continue to grow the film’s global footprint, The Mortuary Assistant will be released in theaters across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia in the coming weeks.
“We’re absolutely thrilled with how audiences have responded to The Mortuary Assistant in theaters,” said Victoria Blake and William Gruenberg of Seismic Releasing. “The film’s box office success shows just how powerful the crossover between gaming and film has become, and it’s exciting to see audiences embrace these worlds on the big screen.”
“Audiences have embraced The Mortuary Assistant in theaters,” said Patrick Ewald, producer and co-financier of the film and CEO of Epic Pictures. “The response from both horror fans and gamers has been fantastic, and we’re thrilled that the film will now reach even more audiences as we continue expanding the theatrical rollout internationally.”
Directed by Jeremiah Kipp (Slapface) and based on the popular video game, The Mortuary Assistant follows newly certified mortician Rebecca Owens (Willa Holland), who accepts a night shift at a mortuary, embalming bodies alone after hours. As disturbing events escalate, Rebecca uncovers demonic rituals, the dark secrets of her enigmatic mentor (Paul Sparks), and her own buried trauma—racing to survive the night before her body becomes a vessel for possession.
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