The popular movie studio Blumhouse, known mostly for horror films like Get Out, the Paranormal Activity and Halloween franchise reboot, and The Purge franchise, laid off as many six staffers in its film, television, and casting divisions.
A spokesperson for Blumhouse confirmed to Deadline that the company, which employs close to 100 people, eliminated six roles last week. The cuts follow the disappointing box office returns for M3GAN 2.0 – the sequel to the 2022 horror/sci-fi sleeper hit. However, Deadline noted none of the executives laid off worked on the film, according to sources within the company.
“Those departing are believed to include largely junior-level executives and support staff, with Manager, Creative Development Haley Pigman, who has worked on such Blumhouse movies as the March release The Woman in the Yard, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, among them,” reported Deadline.
“The restructuring of multiple divisions and subsequent headcount reduction follows the downsizing of the TV division in 2023 when Chris McCumber stepped down as Blumhouse Television President and under 10 people were laid off,” it added. “He was replaced by Melissa Aouate who was named TV President in April.”
While the studio has taken a hit with M3GAN 2.0, box office returns for the upcoming Black Phone 2 and Five Night’s at Freddy’s 2 – sequels to originals that collectively made $450 million worldwide – are expected to prove substantial. In June, the studio also officially acquired the rights to the multimillion dollar Saw franchise for an “undisclosed amount.”
“The company paid an undisclosed amount for the part of the franchise currently owned by producers Oren Koules and Mark Burg. In statements, Koules said it felt like ‘the right time to pass the baton,’ while Burg said he wanted to’“move on and tell new stories,’” noted Variety at the time.
“Lionsgate, which has released all 10 films in the series to the tune of more than $1 billion at the global box office, will continue to be a partner in the property. It will also retain its existing 50% ownership stake in and distribution of future installments,” it added.
The studio has had a rocky 18 months, dating back to 2024, the Hollywood Reporter noted:
Blum’s long-ago fear of failure has returned in a reversal of fortune that began in 2024 and has continued in earnest this year, with all four of its 2025 releases becoming major box office misses, beginning with Wolf Man ($34. 1 million globally), The Woman in the Yard ($23.3 million globally) and Drop ($28.6 million globally).
In 2020, studio boss Jason Blum celebrated Blumhouse giving disgraced former Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA), who resigned from Congress following her “throuple” sex scandal, the Hollywood treatment in a biopic meant to highlight “her message of empowering women.” The feature film, titled She Will Rise: Becoming a Warrior in the Battle for True Equality, landed on Blumhouse’s TV properties.
Jason Blum has had his fair share of unsavory headlines. Blum was booed off stage at the 32nd Israeli Film Festival in Los Angeles after blaming President Donald Trump for rising anti-Semitism in the United States. A few months earlier, Blum said of Trump “we have to all vote and get this maniac out of office so we can go back to normal life, I think that would help.”
“I think it all starts with the attitudes at the top, from our government. So the result is because we have a racist it’s trickling down through the country,” Blum said.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
Read the full article here