A24’s incredible catalogof horror movies has once again found favor with the release ofScott BeckandBryan Woods’Heretic. The story of two missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints entering the seemingly friendly Mr. Reed’s house isboth thought-provoking and utterly chilling,with audiences clearly responding in kind withHereticthe beneficiary of an impressive 93% certified freshRotten Tomatoesscore. Now, thanks to positive word of mouth, the film has helped itself to a healthy slice of Box Officeblueberry pie, achieving over $13 million worldwide in its opening weekend alone.
Because of this, the movie’s star and the talk of horror town,Hugh Grant, has achieved a personal Box Office milestone, namely passing$750 million as a leading actor at the US Box Office.Hereticjoins the likes ofPaddington 2, Music and Lyrics, Love Actually, and many more in helping Grant charm his way to this impressive feat, with the most fruitful of the bunch coming in the form of 1999’sNotting Hill. To this day,Notting Hillis the only one of Grant’s leading performances to have surpassed the $100 million mark domestically, although last year’sDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thievesdid come mightily close with $93 million.
‘Heretic’ is Grant’s Villain Era Fully Formed
Much has been said aboutGrant’s evolution into a Hollywood villainover recent years. The former heartthrob has swapped his charming, bumbling exterior for one with much more sinister intentions, although the initial meeting with Mr. Reed inHereticwould make you believe otherwise.As pleasant and charismatic as ever, Grant endearing reputation from all those Richard Curtis movies helps to fool not justHeretic’s victims but also the audience, as it quickly becomes apparent that this charmer is not to be trusted. This is something discussed inRoss Bonaime’sreview of the film for Collider, saying:
“Espousing his religious rants with great gusto and excitement is Grant as Mr. Reed, a delightfully strange and exciting role for the actor.Grant has been on a roll lately with villainous performances, both inPaddington 2andDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and his role inHereticis a solid addition to this lineup. Like those other films,Hereticknows that with Grant at the helm, all you really need to do is step back, aim the camera at him, and let him go on a tear. Here,Grant is reveling in destroying the spirit of these two girls, pointing out the holes in logic within their religion, and genuinely enjoying the back-and-forth that this pair provides in this dialogue about faith.Hereticis at its best when it lets Grant take the reins with a lengthy monologue and go off on his visitors, using Monopoly as a metaphor for religion, singing Radiohead songs, and doing a Jar Jar Binks impression. It’s basically everything you could want from a villainous Grant role.”
Thanks toHeretic, Hugh Grant has surpassed $750 million as a leading actor at the US Box Office. You can catch the movie in theaters now.
Two young missionaries are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed, becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
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