Something feels different this time

Final Destination has always been a plucky little franchise made on the cheap and reliably earning very modest profits and a dedicated cult following. It always seemed like WB and New Line’s attitude was more “well we might as well make another one” rather than genuine confidence in it. But it feels very different this time. It’s especially strange given that this movie was originally greenlit before Discovery took over WB and was supposed to just be dumped on Max. I expected it to be cancelled when David Zaslav was going on his rampage. But not only did it get made, it was filmed in IMAX and given a full theatrical release and in May, no less. It’s screaming confidence. Instead of a cheap throwaway movie, it feels like WB is treating this like a tentpole. Now we learn that the trailer became the second most viewed horror movie trailer ever? People seem genuinely excited for a new movie. YouTube and TikTok are full of positive reactions to the trailer. It’s very validating to see the franchise being received this way. We can only hope the movie lives up to the expectations now.