The Halloween Box Office Battle: A Tale of Two Movies
The recent Halloween weekend at the box office has been a story of competition, uncertainty, and record lows. Paramount's romance-drama Regretting You, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's second book to hit the big screen following It Ends With Us, is claiming victory in the holiday race. According to Sunday estimates from Paramount, the film grossed $8.1 million across 3,245 theaters during its second weekend. However, this claim may not be entirely accurate.
Universal, on the other hand, is estimating that Blumhouse's Black Phone 2 took first place with $8 million from 3,425 cinemas. This horror sequel, now in its third weekend, was initially reported to have outperformed Regretting You. But as final numbers came in last weekend, the two films swapped positions, with Regretting You ultimately coming out on top. The official ranking for the Oct. 31-Nov. 2 frame will be determined on Monday, raising questions about whether Paramount's initial projection was overly optimistic.
Despite the confusion over rankings, the overall box office performance for the weekend was disappointing. Ticket sales totaled $49.8 million, marking the worst showing of the year so far. This figure also represents the lowest-grossing Halloween weekend in 31 years, according to Comscore. Notably, this excludes the 2020 period when the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread theater closures.
The last time Halloween weekend revenue fell below this level was in 1993, when combined ticket sales reached $49.2 million, not adjusted for inflation. This year's struggles follow what was already the worst October in 27 years. Several factors contributed to the weak performance, including a lack of new releases and the absence of a major event film like Venom: The Last Dance in 2024. As a result, exhibitors had to rely on holdovers, rereleases, and specialty offerings.
One such example was Focus Features' Bugonia, which expanded into 2,043 theaters and earned $4.8 million. Additionally, Back to the Future made a return to screens, adding to the limited lineup of films available to audiences.
Halloween can often be a challenging time for Hollywood, especially when the holiday falls on a Friday, as it did this year. Regretting You faced a significant drop in sales on Friday, as its target audience—primarily younger females—was occupied with other activities. However, sales rebounded sharply on Saturday, with a 200% increase in ticket purchases.
Despite generally mixed reviews, Regretting You performed well with audiences. The film received strong exit polling results from PostTrak and holds an impressive 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. While its CinemaScore was only a B, the movie's success reflects Colleen Hoover's continued popularity and the appeal of her work to a dedicated fanbase.
As the industry continues to navigate these challenges, the Halloween box office serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of the film business. With fewer new releases and shifting audience habits, studios must find innovative ways to attract viewers and maintain profitability. The coming weeks will likely bring more updates and insights into how the market adapts to these ongoing changes.
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