While there is a clear schedule for network TV programming, as new series typically premiere each September and conclude in June, streaming has definitely changed the game. New shows can premiere on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Prime Video any month, which makes being a TV fan a lot of fun since there's always fresh content.
The film industry is another story, though, as there have traditionally been a few times of year that are seen as the poorest times to release a new movie. These months are referred to as "dump months" and this is an interesting concept... especially since there is one genre that seems to have escaped this fate.
According to TV Tropes, the "dump months" are usually August/September and also January/February. The reason for this is that people are caught up in a back-to-school frenzy at the end of summer and beginning of the fall. Movie studios tend to release big movies around holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving.
Top Gun: Maverick is a good example of this movie release schedule. The film hit theaters on May 24th, 2022 and enjoyed a really long run in theaters. This was perfect timing as movie fans steadily went to go see it in late May, June, July, September, and even August. Top: Gun Maverick grossed over $1 billion worldwide and while some films don't do well in August and September, people were still excited to go see this one since there was so much buzz.
There is also the Oscar season to consider, which suggests why the movies that are thought to be the most successful at the box office aren't going to come out in January or February. If there is one month that is the absolute worst, though, it's widely considered to be January. In an interview with Business Insider, Matt Atchity, the editor-in-chief of Rotten Tomatoes said, "The awards contenders hit wide release this month,so I think the studios release their weaker films to stay out of the way of their awards contenders hitting national platforms."
It's also interesting to note that because of winter weather, the movies that are likely going to be the most successful won't be released in theaters at the start of each year.
However, there seems to be one exception for the "dump months" and that is horror. 2022 horror movies have been box office successes and they have been released in months that are traditionally thought to be bad luck. When comparing box office numbers for Scream (2022) and Halloween Kills,Scream (2022) grossed $140,041,405 worldwide and it was released on January 14th, 2022. This is good compared to the worldwide gross for Halloween Kills, which was released in October 2021 and made $131,647,155.
Barbarian, which has gotten great reviews from critics and has become a new fan favorite, was released on September 9th, 2022. Ti West's X prequel Pearl also hit theaters on September 16th, 2022. Barbarian topped a low performing box office weekend. Barbarian has been the talk of the horror town and it opened to $10,543,948 in 2,340 theaters. Its worldwide gross is $43,464,547 so far, according to Box Office Mojo. Considering the budget was $4.5 million, this is great news. Pearl was made for $1 million and grossed $9,423,445 worldwide.
The fact that horror movies can be released in January, February, August or September and still do well proves that horror fans will always head to the movies as long as there is a story that catches their interest.
It looks like 2023 will also feature horror movies coming out during "dump months." On January 13th, 2023, horror fans will be able to head to their local theater and buy a ticket for Blumhouse's evil doll horror movie M3GAN. There is also the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan film Knock At The Cabin, which will come out February 3rd, 2023. There is a lot of anticipation for both movies, which also proves a compelling point: if a movie has a popular studio or writer/director/filmmaker attached, there will definitely always be an audience ready and willing to go, no matter what time of year it is.
While October is traditionally thought of as the prime time to release horror movies since, of course, people are in the mood thanks to Halloween, it looks like September has become an exciting and smart time to release a horror movie. Smile opened with $22 million and fans of the genre have been thrilled to talk about it.
Even though there are definitely "dump months" for non-horror movies, and it's clear that smaller movies or ones that don't have the best chance at success come out in August or January or February, horror fans will always be happy to see something new, smart, and different, and it doesn't matter what month it is.