Imaginary Reviews: Best Horror Movie In 2024
Imaginary is an American supernatural horror film from 2024 Directed and produced by Jeff Wadlow and written by Wadlow along with Greg Erb and Jason Oremland. Jason Blum co-produced it under his Blumhouse Productions banner and with Tower of Babble.
On March 8, 2024, Lionsgate released Imaginary in the United States. It has made less than $39 million in revenue.
Overview
| Imaginary (2024) | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jeff Wadlow |
| Written by | Jeff Wadlow Greg Erb Jason Oremland |
| Produced by | Jeff Wadlow Jason Blum |
| Starring | DeWanda Wise Tom Payne Taegen Burns Pyper Braun Veronica Falcón |
| Cinematography | James McMillan |
| Edited by | Sean Albertson |
| Music by | Sparks & Shadows |
| Production companies | Blumhouse Productions Tower of Babble |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
| Release date | March 8, 2024 |
| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10–13 million |
| Box office | $39.1 million |
| IMDB Rating | 4.7/10; 12K Votes |
Imaginary Synopsis
Children’s book author Jessica is married to musician Max, who has two daughters from his previous marriage: Alice, the younger one, and Taylor, a teenager. Jessica is troubled by nightmares featuring her mentally ill father, Ben, and a character from her books, Simon the Spider. When the family moves into Jessica’s childhood home, Alice finds a teddy bear named Chauncey and becomes attached. An elderly neighbor, Gloria, who used to babysit Jessica, shares memories of Jessica’s childhood that she cannot recall.
While Max is away on tour, Chauncey begins to disturb Jessica. One day, Taylor invites her friend Liam over, and Chauncey frightens him by momentarily turning into a monstrous bear. Jessica barely stops Alice from injuring herself with a nail, prompting her to call child psychologist Dr. Soto. Jessica learns that only she and Alice can see Chauncey. Dr. Soto shows footage of a former patient who used the same phrase as Alice: “Never Ever.” After Alice goes missing, Taylor blames Jessica.
Gloria tells Taylor that Chauncey was also Jessica’s imaginary friend when she was a child. Imaginary friends can become malevolent if abandoned. Jessica finds old drawings of Chauncey and the Never Ever in her belongings. Together, the three women complete Chauncey’s scavenger hunt, leading to a glowing door to the Never Ever realm.
In this realm, they uncover Jessica’s repressed memories. As a child, she was lured by Chauncey into the Never Ever, but her father, Ben, rescued her. However, seeing Chauncey’s eyes drove Ben mad, leading to Jessica being sent to live with her grandparents. Gloria, obsessed with the realm, closes the escape route. She reveals that she had been in contact with Chauncey, who promised her power if she brought them to the realm. Chauncey then kills Gloria. During their search for Alice, Chauncey relentlessly torments them until they find her. Jessica ultimately defeats Chauncey by stabbing him in the eye with scissors.
After reuniting with Ben and Max at Ben’s institution, Jessica realizes they are still in the Never Ever. Chauncey had used Alice to lure her back and seeks revenge for being abandoned. Taylor rescues Jessica, and Chauncey transforms into a form resembling Simon the Spider, chasing them to the doorway. The spider tries to drive them insane with his eyes, but Alice sets him on fire, sealing him behind the door. The family escapes as the house burns down.
At a hotel, the family is frightened by a child playing with a teddy bear. that looks like a Chauncey. They decide to leave for another hotel to ensure their safety.
Imaginary Cast
| According To Imaginary Movie: Cast & Role | |
|---|---|
| DeWanda Wise | Plays Jessica, Max’s wife, Taylor, and Alice’s stepmother. |
| Tom Payne | Plays Max, Jessica’s husband, and Taylor and Alice’s father. |
| Taegen Burns | Plays Taylor, Max’s older daughter, Jessica’s older stepdaughter, and Alice’s older sister. |
| Pyper Braun | Plays Alice, Max’s younger daughter, Jessica’s younger stepdaughter, and Taylor’s younger sister. |
| Matthew Sato | Plays Liam, Taylor’s friend and neighbor |
| Verónica Falcón | Plays Dr. Alana Soto, a therapist. |
| Betty Buckley | Plays Gloria, Jessica’s neighbor and former babysitter. |
| Dane DiLiegro | Plays Chauncey Bear, Jessica, and Alice’s imaginary friend. |
| Michael Bekemeier | Plays the entity and humanoid spider. |
Box Office Performance
With $28 million in revenue from the US and Canada and $11.1 million from other areas as of April 22, 2024, Imaginary has made $39.1 million in total revenue globally.
Imaginary was slated to make between $10 and $14 million from 3,118 theaters during its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, where it debuted with Kung Fu Panda 4 and Cabrini. $525,000 from Thursday night previews contributed to the movie’s first-day gross of $3.6 million. At the box office, it went on to premiere to $9.9 million, placing fifth. During its second weekend, the movie earned $5.6 million and came in fourth place.
