The movie “The Possession,” which is based on the Jewish “Dybbuk,” had a successful opening weekend at the box office, grossing $21.3 million in America.
The film, starring Matisyahu, Kyra Sedgwick, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Natasha Calis, was directed by Ole Bornedal and has already generated enough ticket sales to cover its $14 million budget — it registered the second best Labor Day opening of all time, second to only the $30.6 million recorded by “Halloween” in 2007.
“The horror audience has been underserved for much of the summer. This movie seemed to grab that audience very nicely,” Lionsgate president of distribution Richie Fay told “Hollywood Reporter.” “We had a very good marketing plan, and a good playdate.”
“The Possession” received mixed reviews, scoring only 39% on the Rotten Tomatoes Fresh scale, but performed better with Roger Ebert, who gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.