Summary

• Two 2023 Dracula movies have failed at the box office, leading to speculation about the Dracula movie problem and whether the character is losing relevance.
• Dracula movies have a long history of both negative critical receptions and poor box office performances, with no "fresh" ratings on Rotten Tomatoes in over three decades.
• Modern Dracula adaptations struggle to capture the eerie simplicity and chilling allure that made the original Dracula a masterpiece, often sacrificing mood for effects and deviating too far from the source material.

Two 2023 Cage's Dracula in Renfield, Dracula has seen countless reimaginings. Yet, despite this plethora of adaptations, the recent Dracula films seem to miss the mark more often than they hit.

2023 has seen the release of not one but two Dracula movies, Renfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter. Both movies were slammed by critics and bombed at the box office. Even though the Renfield ending set up a sequel, that's now unlikely following its box office performance. This follows a trend of Dracula movie failures that goes back decades. It's worth wondering if the character of Draculahimself is losing relevance, or if the modern interpretations are fundamentally flawed. The daunting shadow of Bela Lugosi's portrayal looms over every subsequent attempt.

Dracula's Poor Box Office & Critical Record Explained

Dracula movies have a long history of both negative critical receptions and poor box office performances. In fact, there hasn't been a single Dracula movie that has been rated "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes in over three decades. The last "fresh" Dracula movie was 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was a faithful retelling of the original Bram Stoker story. Since then, the character has featured almost exclusively in "rotten" movies, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter is the tenth consecutive rotten Dracula movie. Dracula Untold has a score of just 25%, Renfield has 58%, and The Last Voyage of the Demeter has just 49% on the review aggregate site.

Most high-profile Dracula movies have totally bombed worldwide as well. While Nicolas Cage's depiction as a campy Dracula in Renfield was praised and there's a high demand for a solo Cage Dracula movie, that wasn't enough to find an audience in multiplexes. The film made $26 million against a budget of $65 million (via The Numbers). Along with The Last Voyage of the Demeter, the combined losses for Universal are way over $100 million. However, this bad trend hasn't lasted as long the negative review trend, as Dracula Untold made three times its budget, and though 2004's Van Helsing performance was considered an underperformance, it still made $300 million.

Dracula Is Hard To Get Right In Modern Cinema

As time es, there's a natural desire to see timeless tales updated to reflect contemporary values and concerns. This, however, can lead to fundamental missteps in Dracula adaptations. It's extremely difficult to keep the character from seeming dated or schlocky. 2014's Dracula Untold attempted to give a superhero origin spin to the vampire mythos, transforming Dracula into a tragic hero rather than a menacing figure of the night. While the intent was to provide a fresh take, the movie deviated too far, turning a classic horror tale into an action-packed fantasy.

Another stumbling block is the desire to over-explain or demystify Dracula, which takes away what makes the Prince of Darkness so alluring. In Blade: Trinity, the character of Dracula (or Drake) is portrayed as the progenitor of all vampires. Instead of the enigmatic and eerie presence known from Stoker's tale, this Dracula is reduced to a mere supervillain. Renfield was a campy depiction of the iconic vampire, and the Dracula in The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an outright monster. By attempting to modernize and over-elaborate, many adaptations of the source material lose the eerie simplicity and chilling allure that made the original Dracula a masterpiece.

Hollywood Has Sucked The Vampire Horror Subgenre Dry

Outside of the aforementioned Dracula-based movies, there are so many more vampire movies than there were when Dracula was a box office success. The golden age of vampire films, marked by Bela Lugosi's chilling portrayal in 1931's Dracula, feels eons away. In the ensuing decades, vampires transitioned from solitary figures of terror to entire cinematic universes brimming with bloodsuckers. The '90s saw an intriguing mix of vampire movies, such as 1994's Interview with a Vampire and 1996's horror-comedy From Dusk Till Dawn. However, as the new millennium dawned, there was an even bigger influx of vampire movies.

The 2000s were dominated by series like Underworld and Blade, which transformed vampires into leather-clad action heroes, often embroiled in age-old wars. Then, the Twilight saga exploded in popularity, but in doing so, saturated the market. What was once a niche, gothic terror became commercial, accessible, and everywhere. This oversaturation diminished the genre's power, and instead of Dracula standing as a towering figure of horror, he became one among a sea of vampires, with each iteration less intimidating than the last. Because of this, Dracula struggled to retain his iconic status, becoming just another face in a crowded room.

Modern Vampires Aren't What They Used To Be

Dracula's descent from the embodiment of gothic horror to a more varied character mirrors the evolution of vampires in modern media. Vampires of today oscillate between monstrous creatures and brooding, sexy anti-heroes. 30 Days of Night offered a brutal, predatory perspective, whereas Twilight served a romanticized rendition. This duality confuses the identity of the modern vampire, making it difficult to produce a cohesive Dracula adaptation that isn't marred by these varied depictions.

The seductive, romantic vampire figure, popularized by franchises like Twilight, clashes with the dark, eerie origins of Dracula. While there's room for both portrayals, the blending often results in a confusing hybrid that neither terrifies nor titillates. Dracula, as a character, has been stretched and contorted to fit multiple molds, which went even further with the campy Dracula in Renfield and the straight-up monster in Last Voyage of the Demeter. That was a whiplash-inducing switch-up given the short four-month gap in their releases. Ultimately, modern vampire movies have diluted the original allure and dread of old blood-sucking flicks.

Modern Dracula Movies Have Sacrificed Mood For Effects

One of the distinct features of Bram Stoker's Dracula and the early adaptations is their palpable gothic atmospheres. The sprawling castles, the fog-laden forests, and the unease of an old world clashing with the new all contributed to a suffocating sense of dread that defined the original tale. Many modern adaptations, however, seem to prioritize action, romance, or special effects over this moody ambiance, leading to a stark departure from the novel. 2004's Van Helsing took the legendary vampire hunter on a CGI-heavy adventure against a Dracula who felt more like a comic book villain. While visually ambitious, the film lacked the oppressive atmosphere that makes Dracula a chilling tale.

This continued with later movies, as Dracula Untold lacked any eerie atmosphere whatsoever. While the visuals lacked color, that doesn't mean the movie is tonally dark. Renfield also lacked the iconic mood of Dracula. There's undoubtedly copious amounts of blood in the 2023 movie, but with it being set in New Orleans, Renfield is the most vibrant Dracula film ever. Whereas The Last Voyage of the Demeter is effects-heavy, the film's dark tone is a step in the right direction regarding the signature mood of Dracula. Nevertheless, there's still a long way to go until a Dracula movie can be deemed a success.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes, Rotten Tomatoes, Rotten Tomatoes, The Numbers