Neon’s hit thriller Longlegs has emerged as the highest-grossing independent film of 2024, surpassing a remarkable $100 million at the global box office. With $72 million grossed in North America alone, the movie has also claimed the title of the top-grossing R-rated horror film of the year. While Deadpool & Wolverine holds the overall R-rating record, Longlegs leads among horror films.
Starring Nicolas Cage as a terrifying serial killer in a suspenseful, Silence of the Lambs-inspired narrative, Longlegs quickly outpaced expectations upon its release. Opening in July to an impressive $22 million, the film’s success was driven by an effective marketing campaign that highlighted the eerie mystique of the story while keeping Cage’s chilling transformation under wraps. Directed and written by Osgood Perkins, the film became a standout not just for Neon but for the entire indie film industry.
Longlegs has now overtaken Neon’s previous highest-grossing film, the Oscar-winning Parasite (which earned $53.4 million domestically), and has exceeded A24’s blockbuster Civil War, which had grossed $68.6 million. Within just three weeks of its U.S. release, Longlegs also became the highest-grossing indie horror film of the last decade, outperforming Talk to Me ($48 million) and Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015) at $52.2 million.
Director Osgood Perkins is already preparing for his next collaboration with Neon, a Stephen King adaptation titled The Monkey, set to star Theo James and debut in February 2025. Meanwhile, Longlegs co-star Maika Monroe will be reuniting with Neon for the much-anticipated sequel to It Follows, titled They Follow.
