Movies
‘The Monkey’ Shatters Indie Horror Trailer Viewership Record
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Just six months after NEON’s Longlegs became the highest-grossing indie horror film of the past decade, the distributor continues its reign in the indie horror space with another major milestone. Directed once again by Osgood Perkins, the trailer for their upcoming Stephen King adaptation The Monkey has just surpassed a staggering 109 million views.
Deadline reports that the first trailer for The Monkey has been a massive success, with viewership across all platforms—including TikTok—now sitting at 109 million.
In its first 24 hours, the trailer racked up an impressive 43 million views, hitting the 100 million mark within 72 hours. Deadline notes this could be a record for an indie horror film released by a non-MPA studio. For comparison, The Monkey’s viewership outpaced other notable horror trailers, including Smile (100M views and a $22.6M opening), The Black Phone (73M views for its first trailer, 37M for the second, with a $23.6M opening), Talk To Me (23M for its second trailer), and Nosferatu (74M for the first, 48M for the second, with a $21.6M 3-day opening).
With numbers like these, it looks like NEON is set to have another horror hit on their hands when The Monkey releases in theaters on February 21, 2025.
The film, produced by James Wan, follows the eerie tale of two twin brothers who find a mysterious wind-up monkey. After a series of violent deaths devastate their family, the brothers go their separate ways. But 25 years later, the monkey’s deadly spree begins anew, forcing the estranged siblings to face the curse that haunts them.
Based on a short story from Stephen King’s Skeleton Crew (1985)—a collection that also features The Mist and The Raft—The Monkey is shaping up to be another chilling success.
You can watch the previously released Red Band trailer below.