Death never dies: ‘Final Destination’ revival slays box office

Metro Manila, Philippines - The sixth installment of the Final Destination franchise is off to a deadly good start at the box office.

Warner Bros. Pictures said in a statement that “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” rated R-16 without cuts, opened strong in cinemas over the weekend, marking a successful return for the long-running horror series.

Entertainment news site Deadline reported that the film earned $102 million globally in its opening weekend. Rotten Tomatoes ranked the film with Certified Fresh at 93% on the Tomatometer, compared to a merely Fresh 63% for the fifth entry. It is only the seventh wide release (in over 2,000 theaters) to score 90% or higher with critics this year.

The film serves as a prequel, taking audiences back to the origins of Death’s grim design - and proving there’s still life in a franchise where everyone dies.

Directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, the film follows college student Stefanie (played by Kaitlyn Santa Juana) who returns home after a string of violent nightmares, hoping to uncover the truth behind a family curse before Death catches up on them all.

“The fun of Final Destination is all those little elements that lead up to the deaths,” says Stein. “It’s really the filmmaking that is the villain... bringing Death to life is just so much fun.”

Lipovsky adds, “The audience is participating in every Final Destination movie. You know what’s gonna happen, but there are always surprises.”

“Spoiler alert - everyone dies,” added Stein.

Also starring part-Filipino actor Teo Briones, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Rya Kihlstedt, Brec Bassinger, and the late Tony Todd, Bloodlines continues the franchise’s legacy of inventive and often shocking death scenes that have captivated fans for over two decades.

The film was written by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, from a story by Jon Watts, Busick, and Taylor, and is based on characters created by Jeffrey Reddick.

“Final Destination: Bloodlines” is still showing in cinemas nationwide.