The major studios didn’t try to seriously challenge HALLOWEEN (Blumhouse/Miramax/Universal) on its titular weekend, and despite a 69% Friday-to-Friday drop to $10.3M according to preliminary numbers at Deadline, it will easily win its 2nd weekend with around $33M. At this rate, it could top $175M in the US, which would put it neck-and-neck with the adjusted 1978 box office of the original Halloween, as well as with Blumhouse’s current top grosser Get Out. If it passes the $188M of A Quiet Place, it will be the top horror movie of the year. Needless to say, its low production costs mean the profits will be monstrous.
Another pair of holdovers hold the next two slots. A STAR IS BORN (MGM/Warners) continues to hold beautifully, down 29% on its 4th Friday to $4M, for a weekend that could approach $14M, as it heads toward $175M in the US.
VENOM (Tencent/Columbia/Sony) was also sturdy, down 45% on its 4th Friday to $2.8M, for a $10M weekend and a US total that should get past $200M.
The only newcomer in the Top 10 didn’t have much to boast about. HUNTER KILLER (Lionsgate) managed $2.5M on Friday (including $420K from Thursday night), for a dismal $6.5M weekend, the lowest start ever for a Gerard Butler-led action movie. Lionsgate only paid for rights in selected territories, but the production won’t even earn back the cost of its domestic marketing.
GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN (Sony Animation/Columbia/Sony) dipped 32% on its 3rd Friday to $1.7M for a $6.5M weekend, still heading toward $50M in the US.
THE HATE U GIVE (20th) had a fair hold in its 2nd weekend of wide release, down 42% Friday-to-Friday to $1.4M, on its way to a $4.5M weekend. That’s a sharper drop than the 35% for Love, Simon last spring, and puts Hate on a path to a mild $25-30M in the US, with questionable international appeal.
FIRST MAN (DreamWorks/Perfect World/Universal) remained unable to establish much durability for a film that wants to be a presence in awards season. It dropped 47% on its 3rd Friday to $1.3M for a $4.5M weekend, and may not even reach $50M in the US.
SMALLFOOT (Warners Animation) was down 36% on its 5th Friday to $1M, on its way to a $4M weekend and $80M in the US.
NIGHT SCHOOL (Perfect World/Universal) lost 39% on its 5th Friday to $850K, on the trail of a $3M weekend and $75M or so in the US.
MID90S (A24) jumped from a 4-theatre release to 1206 with a modest $1M Friday that may put it at $2.7M for the weekend. That would give it a slim $2200 weekend per-theatre average, lower than Hunter Killer, which is in more than twice as many theatres.
The Christian vehicle INDIVISIBLE (Pure Flix) opened at 830 theatres and might get to $1.7M for the weekend.
JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN (Universal) has already earned $96.4M overseas, and its bare-bones US release in 544 theatres is very much an afterthought. With $530K on Friday, it probably won’t hit $1.5M for the weekend.
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