The little unicorn that could is still going. Indie horror hit “Buddy” has now passed $20 million at the domestic box office, according to a September 13 update from DiscussingFilm, extending one of the most surprising theatrical runs of the year.
Directed by Casper Kelly, the filmmaker behind the viral Adult Swim short “Too Many Cooks,” the film follows a group of children trapped inside a surreal 1990s-style children’s television series, where they must escape their malevolent unicorn host. Cristin Milioti and Delaney Quinn lead the cast, with Keegan-Michael Key voicing the title character, alongside Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, Topher Grace and Clint Howard. Made for about $3 million, “Buddy” premiered in the Midnight section at the Sundance Film Festival before Roadside Attractions and Saban Films released it in theaters on August 28.
The film opened to $5.3 million, far above expectations, then grew to $5.7 million in its second weekend over Labor Day, a rare second-weekend increase that signaled strong word of mouth. As TDN previously reported, “Buddy” then passed $15 million after beating its own opening weekend.
The $20 million milestone makes “Buddy” the first Roadside Attractions release since the COVID-19 pandemic to reach that mark, according to TheWrap. DiscussingFilm also notes the film is on track to become the distributor’s second biggest film ever.
Kelly told TheWrap he was grateful to the audiences who turned out for the film, saying the team that released it loves talking about the art of it and that he has learned a lot from them.
If “Buddy” keeps climbing to $25 million, TheWrap reports it would become Roadside’s third-highest grossing film of all time, behind only “I Can Only Imagine” and “Manchester by the Sea.” The film is still playing in theaters.