A Movie We’re Rooting For: COMPANION

When Warner Bros. gave us the teaser for COMPANION back in early October, we were hooked. In one of the more brilliant bait-and-switches, the teaser opened with a card reading, “from the studio that brought you The NOTEBOOK.” What followed over the next 60 seconds was far from the timeless romance of that classic. Rather, the teaser exploded into what looks like one of the most unconventional horror films of the year. Scene after scene, the teaser culminated in Sophie Thatcher’s hand on fire suspended above a candle.

Yesterday, we finally got the full trailer, which makes the film look even more wackadoodle. If we weren’t sure what happened in the teaser, we’re even more intrigued by where this story is going based on the full trailer. Yes, a plot twist was revealed, but we suspect there are more twists and turns. And that’s a good thing.

The problem is, no one knows about COMPANION—or at least as of now. Since the teaser came out in October, awareness has been woefully low. It currently sits at 8%, which ranks it 48th among the 52 films currently being tracked by The Quorum.

Prior to yesterday, we thought the studio had abandoned the film. We half expected it to be pulled from the release schedule. And with only a few weeks before its January 31st opening, there wasn’t even a full poster. We only had a teaser (left) that featured its old January 10th date.

Thankfully, Warner Bros. gave us a new poster (right) to accompany the trailer. Now, all that remains to be seen is whether the scores will go up. We certainly hope so for a few reasons.

First, as you know, we love marketing material that raises more questions than it answers. That is far preferable to a trailer that reveals the whole movie.

Second, we love a good comeback story. Nothing would make us happier than to see a film that is tracking DOA to recover in the final three weeks. Based on the current tracking, The Quorum forecasts an opening below $5M. Hopefully, the new material will propel the film upward—and fast—because there isn’t much time between today and January 31st.