Child's Play

1988 | Horror, Thriller, Slasher, Toy Come to Life

Synopsis

A dying serial killer transfers his consciousness into a popular kids doll using voodoo. A struggling single mother gifts her six-year-old son the much sought-after doll for his birthday, and the doll slowly begins to show its true colors.

Scores

Overall Score
86.3
Popularity Percentile (Year)
97.0%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
84.8%
Review Aggregate
65.1

Critic Consensus

64.8% Fresh • 91 critic reviews

Critic reception is mixed, with 65% of 91 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize thin plot, scary, funny. Common reservations focus on thin plot, even when reviewers praise standout elements.

thin plotscaryfunnysuspensefulcharacter-drivenfamily-friendlystylizeddarksatiricallighthearted

Cast

CastYearReported SalaryInflation AdjustedNotes
Catherine Hicks1988$1,609,000$4,268,000(est)
Chris Sarandon1988$991,000$2,627,000(est)

Aggregated Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes critic score64.0
RT critic review count95
Rotten Tomatoes audience score65.0
RT audience rating count250,000
IMDb rating6.7
IMDb votes127,137

Box Office ?

CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Domestic1988$33,244,684$88,156,022
International1988$154,212$408,929
Worldwide1988$33,401,286$88,571,288

Earnings / Profitability

Estimated net revenues and net expenses for films based on reported and estimated numbers. This income statement should be considered most viable for the first 24 months after the inital movie's release (ie after most lucrative pay windows).
CategoryYearReportedInflation Adjusted
Revenues
Theatrical Net Revenue1988$16,684,027$44,241,582
Digital Rentals ?1988N/AN/A
Digital Purchases ?1988N/AN/A
Physical Rentals ?1988$34,121,000$90,479,778
Physical Purchases ?1988$17,848,000$47,328,128
TV & Streaming Revenue1988$8,311,171$22,039,005
Total Revenues1988$76,964,198$204,088,494
Expenses
Budget ?1988$13,000,000$34,472,527
Print & Advertising (P&A) ?1988$7,671,000 (est)$20,341,443 (est)
Participations1988$6,157,000$16,326,719
Residuals ?1988$4,236,000$11,232,740
Interest & Overhead1988$2,600,000$6,894,505
Total Expenses1988$33,664,000$89,267,936
Movie Net Profit or Loss1988$43,300,198$114,820,558

Similar Movies

Related titles based on shared genres and franchise overlap. View all similar movies
PosterMovieYearMatchOverallEst. Profit
Bride of Chucky posterBride of Chucky1998Shared franchise (1)79.1$23,839,694
Child's Play 2 posterChild's Play 21990Shared franchise (1)78.1$56,165,204
Seed of Chucky posterSeed of Chucky2004Shared franchise (1)71.8$33,144,326
Child's Play 3 posterChild's Play 31991Shared franchise (1)67.4$33,779,589
Child's Play posterChild's Play2019Shared franchise (1)80.0$18,111,687