Universal bets on lower-budget movies against next year’s Disney onslaught

We got word courtesy of Box Office Mojo yesterday that M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass will be rated PG-13. That’s not remotely a surprise since both Split and Unbreakable were PG-13 releases as well. The designation is for “violence including some bloody images, thematic elements, and language.” I bring this up for two reasons. First, the first three months are going to be absolute fire for Universal/Comcast Corp.’s horror (or horror-ish) properties. Second, looking at the entire Universal slate (admittedly early in the game), 2019 may be their least blockbuster-y/tentpole-ish slate since 2014. Oh, they’ll have franchises and brands, but next year may be one where their smaller-budget brands pay big dividends. With Disney set to tower over its rivals in terms of tentpoles and market share, Universal is going in the opposite direction.

The year starts with Glass (a sequel to both Unbreakable and Split) in January, continues with Blumhouse’s Happy Death Day 2U (a sequel to a solidly profitable and well-received sleeper hit) in February and then offers Jordan Peele’s Us in March. So, whether the Jessica Rothe-fronted sequel breaks out or merely stays the course, they’ve got a sequel to Blumhouse’s biggest worldwide success and the directorial follow-up to Blumhouse’s biggest domestic grosser (and arguably most acclaimed movie ever) on the docket. And yes, I might argue that a new original from Mr. Peele has the potential to open about as well as a proverbial Get Out 2.