Summary
Coherencetops a new AVOD chart for the month of May. Released in 2013,Coherencemarks director James Ward Byrkit’s feature film debut and follows a group of friends at a dinner party who start to experience various strange phenomena as a comet passes overhead. The sci-fi mystery film, which earned mostly positive reviews from critics, was made on an estimated budget of $50,000 and went on to earn just under $140,000 at the box office. After developing a cult following, it was recently announced that aCoherencefollow-up movie is now on the way.
Now, new data fromReelgoodreveals thatCoherenceranks as the number one most popular movie on AVOD (Advertising-based Video On Demand) in the U.S. for the month of May. The movie, which is available to watch on Tubi, beatsIdiocracy,John Wick, andThe Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, among other titles.Coherencealso ranks fourth on a chart ranking both movies and TV shows on AVOD. Check out the top 10 movies chart below:
Coherence’s Newfound AVOD Success Explained
What Has Been Revealed About Coherence 2
Judging fromCoherence’s box office figures, the film was not widely seen during its limited theatrical run. This isn’t surprising given its small budget. The film has, however, been fairly consistently available across various streaming services and on AVOD platforms, andit developed a cult following over the yearsdueto itsmind-bending sci-fistorytelling, strong performances, and chilling reveals. In addition to an impressive 88% score from critics onRotten Tomatoes,Coherencealso fared well with audiences, as seen in the chart below.
88%
81%
$50,000
$139,745
A welcome surprise for the movie arrived last month, whenDeadlinerevealed thatCoherencewould be getting a sequel.Byrkit is currently developing a follow-up film with producer Kate Andrews(It’s What’s Inside), with Byrkit writing the script with Alex Manugian, his story writing partner on the original. No details have been revealed aboutCoherence 2just yet, and it’s not clear whether the movie will be a sequel or a prequel, or another film set in that same universe.
TheCoherencecast includes Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Elizabeth Gracen, Hugo Armstrong, Lorene Scafaria, and Lauren Maher.
The fact thatCoherenceis now topping an AVOD chart speaks to the passionate following that the movie still has. It’s rare that an indie movie made at this scale would develop enough of a following to justify a follow-up more than a decade later, but audiences have evidently been intrigued by the film’s intricate sci-fi storytelling. It remains to be seen whetherCoherence 2will strike this same chord with viewers, but the sequel announcement has evidently helped get the original movie in front of even more eyes.
Em’s Story Ends On A Question Mark
Warning! Spoilers ahead for the ending of Coherence
As increasingly strange and inexplicable events start to befall Em and her friends, it becomes clear that Miller’s Comet has allowed individuals from alternate realities to interact with each other through a phenomenon known as quantum decoherence. When Em’s friends leave the house to go investigate or to seek help from neighbors, it’s eventually revealed that the returning versions of some of these characters are from alternate realities. The film ends with Em finding a happier alternate reality in which she and Kevin (Sterling) are a couple, and she knocks out her other self and takes her place.
A recent sci-fi show that similarly explored alternate realities in depth is Apple TV+‘swell-reviewedDark Matter.
The final shot ofCoherencedoes leave the door open for a sequel, however. It seems as if Em has gotten away with her plan to take her doppelgänger’s place, but then Kevin receives a call from this doppelgänger and looks at Em as if she’s an impostor. Clearly, Em will not be welcome in this new reality, anda sequel could further explore the ramifications of Miller’s Comet’s passing, following Emily as she attempts to return to her own reality.
New Apple TV+ Multiverse Show Is A Reminder To Watch An 88% Rotten Tomatoes Sci-Fi Thriller
Apple TV+ has added a multiverse TV show to its sci-fi catalog, and it serves as the perfect reminder to watch an 88% Rotten Tomatoes sci-fi thriller.
This approach of just continuing the story right from the ending of the first movie, however, could present problems, as all the actors involved have now aged by 11 years and won’t look the same. The sequel could address this by revealing that Em has been trapped in her alternate reality for close to a decade, and perhaps another passing comet will finally give her the chance to return home. This premise forCoherence 2might not be different enough from the first movie, though, and it could end up feeling like too much of a rehash of the same story.
Coherence 2 Should Be A Spiritual Sequel
Byrkit’s Follow-Up Could Expand The World
Instead of directly continuing Em’s story,Coherence 2may be better off introducing new characters and exploring similarly mind-bending ideas. The idea of a passing comet causing quantum decoherence, after all, could be applied to characters in any number of higher-stakes situations.If the nextCoherencemovie gets a higher budget, it could dive deeper into this concept by branching the story out beyond just one location, further exploring conflicts between different versions of the same characters.
It remains to be seen how Byrkit will handleCoherence 2, but it’s likely that elements of the first film will return, including a tense, unsettling atmosphere and alternate realities. The original film still stands as a great example of what can be accomplished when a small budget is coupled with strong ideas and filmmaking.Coherence’s new AVOD success certainly suggests that there are already viewers looking forward to Byrkit’s further expansion of the world.
Coherence
Cast
Coherence is a 2013 American sci-fi thriller film written and directed by James Ward Byrkit. The film follows a group of friends whose dinner party is disrupted by a series of strange events that challenge their perceptions of reality. As the night unfolds, the group begins to experience a series of bizarre occurrences that question the nature of their identities and relationships.
