Apparently, monkey business is good business, with news that Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey has hauled in an impressive $38 million domestically and $42 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Consequently, that nightmarish nuisance has not only become the most successful horror movie of the year but also the seventh most successful film of 2025 so far, beating Companion and Wolf Man, which both earned over $34 million.
The film, adapted from a Stephen King short story, stars Theo James as twin brothers who battle for control of a randomly lethal toy monkey. It received significant praise from critics and audiences alike, earning a 79% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
As far as big earners for Perkins’ projects go, The Monkey is his second most successful film to date after Longlegs, which earned a whopping $125 million worldwide. This ensures that the psychotic little wind-up toy that’s a killer on the drums has a long way to go before he can catch up to Nicolas Cage as the pale white stranger with an unsettling singing voice.
With such growing successes, the world really is Osgood Perkins’ oyster waiting to be further cracked open for more horrifying and unsettling stories to tell. One place we can guarantee he won’t be telling them, however, is via Amazon. During a Reddit AMA, a fan asked Perkins, “Are you open to directing a Bond movie/trilogy? If so, who would you cast as your version of Bond?” following the news that the streaming service had obtained full control of the super spy. Perkins’ reply was simple: “No, because fuck Jeff Bezos.” Guess that’s that cleared up, then?
If you fancy sitting down to watch another Stephen King story brought to life, here’s our list of every 25 best Stephen King adaptations ranked here.
