“Good Boy” Aims for Box Office โBite: IFC Films Bets on Canine Horror for โฃFall Release
Los Angeles, CA – Augustโ 22, 2024 – IFCโข Films isโ placing a critically important bet โฃon the horror filmโ “Good Boy,” aiming to replicate the โขtheatricalโ success of recent indie โhits like “Late โคNight withโข theโค Devil” and “In a Violent โNature.” The film, directed by Miguel รngel Leรณn, centers around a boyโ andโข his dog, and is โslated forโข aโฃ wide theatrical release on October 3rd. A surge in Google searches related to theโค dog’s fate, as โฃevidenced by recent search traffic data (see image), suggests early โคaudience engagement.
IFC Entertainment Group โhead Scott Shooman emphasized theโ company’s commitment to identifying and amplifying “fascinating, noisy product” as major studios increasingly focus on broader, four-quadrantโฃ films. โ”We’re a bespoke company and we really payโ attention to what people want to see,” โขShooman told โฃIndieWire. “Last year was our โคsecond-best theatrical year ever and we want to continue that.”
The strategy builds on the success ofโ “Late Night with the Devil,” which reached 1,400 screensโข in 2024 and grossed $10 million, and “In a Violent Nature,” which also played in 1,400 theaters, earning $4.2 million. These films currently rank as the #4 and #16 highest-grossing releases in IFC’s history, respectively. While 2002’s “My Bigโค Fat Greek Wedding” holds the topโค spot with a massive $241 million, Shooman clarified thatโ IFC’sโ involvement was limited โฃto a distribution service โdeal, making Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” ($25 million gross) the company’s true biggestโ hit.The push for theatrical success comes after aโ restructuring within IFC Films. Following the departure of former president Arianna Bocco in March 2023, Scott Shooman โwas appointed to โthe role.โ Asโค part of this shift, the โคcompany โconsolidated its genre โcontent under its streaming platform,โ Shudder, sunsetting the IFC Midnight imprint. “Good Boy” will be branded โwith both the IFC and Shudder logos,โข though a specific streaming releaseโ date remains unconfirmed.
“We have different windows for different types of films, and we’re working โon that for ‘Good Boy’ as we speak,” Shooman explained. “We never want to pre-announce a โdate prematurely. What we can say is we hope everyone sees โitโข in theaters on October 3rd,and that’s really โฃwhere we’re pointingโข people โขright now.”
Notably, “Good Boy” distinguishes itself from previous IFC horror successes with โคa PG-13 rating. “I don’t think there’sโ any age limit on loving dogs,” Shooman stated. The film’s unique origin story -โฃ director Miguel รngel Leรณn made theโฃ film with his own dog – isโ also being highlighted as a key marketing element. “It’s exactly the story of how you’d โwant an independent movie to have come together,” Shooman said. โค”This is his dog! This is not a stageโ dog, and it’s just like โthis is the magicโฃ and why we all โขgot into this business.”
the film’s production utilized advanced โcamera technology, as highlighted in a recent IndieWire gallery showcasing the Alexa 35โ and Sony Venice cameras used at SXSW 2025.
Brian Welkโฃ contributed to this report.
“Good Boy”โ releasesโข in theaters from IFC on Friday, October 3.