Summary

• A new Blair Witch movie was announced at CinemaCon.
• Blumhouse and Lionsgate will be collaborating on the new movie.
• The title will be the fourth feature in the franchise, which kicked off in 1999.

A new Blair Witch movie is coming. The franchise kicked off in 1999 with the smash hit independent feature The Blair Witch Project, which was an early entry in the found footage boom that purported to be the last footage shot by a group of film students who went missing in the Maryland woods while making a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch. The movie was immediately followed by a non-found footage sequel in 2000 and later by a 2016 found footage sequel directed by Adam Wingard.

Screen Rant was in attendance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where during the Lionsgate it was announced that a new movie in the Blair Witch franchise is in development, in a partnership with Blumhouse.

According to the presentation, the movie will be a "new take" on the franchise. At the time of writing, it is unknown if the planned fourth installment will be found footage or traditionally shot.

A Blair Witch Movie Could Bring Blumhouse Back To Their Roots

The Found Footage Subgenre Was Huge For Blumhouse

Although there was a dearth of found footage horror movies directly following The Blair Witch Project in the early 2000s, the subgenre had a huge uptick before the end of the decade. The success of the format can still be traced back to that of the 1999 movie, which is still the 13th highest-grossing independently made movie of all time. At the time of its release, it was the fifth highest-grossing, and its success compared to its low budget made it highly profitable, helping inspire future movies to come.

The Blair Witch Project earned $248.6 million against a budget of roughly $750,000.

One of those found footage movies that came in the wake of the original The Blair Witch Project was Paranormal Activity, a supernatural shocker that was produced by Blumhouse and became a smash hit in 2009. The movie earned $194.2 million against its roughly $230,000 budget, kicking off a franchise that now includes seven movies and has grossed over $890.4 million worldwide, becoming the 110th highest-grossing franchise of all time. All of those movies were produced by Blumhouse, which became a household name in the horror sphere in the wake of the success of that 2009 release.

Since Paranormal Activity, Blumhouse has produced a variety of found footage horror movies, including The Gallows, Creep, The Bay, and The Visit. However, the majority of their output now lies in traditional horror features such as Five Nights as Freddy's and the new Halloween trilogy. By backing a new Blair Witch movie, they have an opportunity to return to their roots, providing low-budget thrills while honoring one of the iconic movies that started it all.