The Omen prequel The First Omen underperformed in its debut weekend in theaters, so the film’s next best chance to find an audience will be on streaming. But when will that happen?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, The First Omen and the action thriller Monkey Man were stomped in their debuts in theaters this weekend by Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which earned an estimated $31 million in its second weekend at the domestic box office. Monkey Man took the No. 2 slot with an estimated $10.1 million and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire landed at No. 3 with $9 million in ticket sales.
The First Omen — which Box Office Pro projected would open in the $10 million to $15 million range — instead had a soft debut with an estimated take of $8.4 million. Luckily, THR reported, the film had a better opening internationally with $9.1 million in ticket sales in 43 markets.
In all likelihood, the underwhelming domestic debut for The First Omen — which was released by Disney subsidiary 20th Century Studios — means a quicker debut on digital video and streaming. The question, however, remains where and when.
The First Omen’s streaming home was already preordained to be Hulu since Disney owns the streaming service. THR reported that the horror thriller — which was made for $30 million — was originally produced as a Hulu original movie, but it was ultimately promoted to a theatrical debut because of the shortage of releases due to last summer’s Hollywood strikes.
As far as a streaming date for The First Omen, The Wrap pegs a June release on streaming for the film. However, the industry trade publication made its streaming date projection before the release of The First Omen, so it’s completely within reason to guess the film will appear on Hulu before then given its disappointing opening in theaters.
Before viewers get their chance to see The First Omen for free on Hulu — provided they’re subscribers to the streaming service — look for the film to be available digitally on premium video on demand. Generally, PVOD titles — which are usually available on such online platforms as Prime Video, Apple TV+ and VUDU — cost $19.99 to rent and $24.99 to purchase.
How Does ‘The First Omen’ Tie Into The Original ‘Omen’?
Set in 1971 — five years before the demon child Damien was introduced to moviegoers in The Omen in 1976 — The First Omen stars Nell Tiger Free as Margaret, a young novitiate who moves from the U.S. to Rome for her final duties before she takes the veil as a nun.
Asked to keep watch over a group of orphaned girls, Margaret encounters some haunting behavior among some of them, which her nun supervisors explain away as bad behavior.
However, when Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson) manages to get Margaret alone, he tells the innocent novitiate of a conspiracy involving a splinter faction of the church to birth a new Antichrist. While seeking evidence for the priest to prove his suspicions, Margaret’s tormented past as an orphan herself bubbles to the surface, and she begins to experience horrific visions that cloud the lines of fantasy and reality.
While fans are awaiting the release of The First Omen on either PVOD or streaming, the 1976 version of The Omen is available to stream on Hulu and Roku. If viewers want to stream The Omen without ads, Roku also lists digital platforms where the film can be rented for $3.99 or less.
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