Halloween dropped 58% from its robust opening last weekend as it earned $32 million to bring its domestic total to $126.7 million after just ten days of release. Halloween has also earned $45.6 million overseas for a global total of $172 million, all on a production budget of just $10 million, demonstrating the tremendous earning power of the horror film genre.
Bradley Cooper’s A Star Is Born remained at #2, dropping just 26% as it earned $14.1 million driving its domestic total to almost $150 million. A Star Is Born has already passed such recent musical hits as Mamma Mia! ($144 million), and Les Miserables ($148 million), and will soon pass La La Land ($151 million). It appears that A Star Is Born will definitely catch The Greatest Showman ($174 million), and has a real chance at making $200 million.
Though musicals don’t play like superhero films overseas, A Star Is Born has earned $104.6 million outside of North America for a global total of over $253 million.
Ruben Fleischer’s Venom dropped 40.1% in its fourth weekend as it earned $10.8 million to push its domestic total to $187.3 million. While Venom will surely make it over the $200 million mark here in North America, it has already earned $321 million overseas for a current global total of $508 million. Venom also now has an opening date in China (November 9), which means that the Spider-Verse franchise-establishing film could end up with a worldwide total in the $650-$700 million frame.
Sony’s YA horror film Goosebumps 2 remained in fourth place as it earned $7.5 million to bring its domestic total to $38.3 million. With a current worldwide total of $62.4 million, this $38 million production is not yet in the black, and this may be that last we see of films based on R.L. Stine’s horror novels for quite some time.
The only new film to make the top ten was Lionsgate’s submarine thriller Hunter Killer, which opened meekly with $6.5 million. The only thing this film has going for it now is a solid A- CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences that skewed male (55%) and older (even for an R-rated film) with 93% of the crowd over 25.
The socially conscious YA drama The Hate You Give dropped just 32.9% as it earned $5.1 million. It may take Oscar nominations to get this powerful film the kind of attention it deserves, but it is still on a bit of an upswing, and has the potential to break out.
The same cannot be said of Damien Chazelle’s Neal Armstrong biopic First Man, which continues to fade, earning just $4.9 million in its third weekend of release. Perhaps Oscar nominations can give First Man a boost, but so far the film’s performance at the box office is the very definition of “disappointing.”
Making its first appearance in the top ten is Jonah Hill’s coming-of-age drama Mid90s, which added 1200 theaters as it earned $3 million. So far Mid90s has done well, but given few signs that it will break out of the modestly successful indie coming-of-age bracket.
Two new films in fairly limited release, had disappointing debuts. The Rowan Atkinson comedy Johnny English Strikes Again, bombed here, earning just $1.6 million from 544 theaters, though the UK comedy has already earned $107 million overseas, while the faith-themed Indivisible brought in $1.75 million from 830 venues.
One film in limited release to watch is the horror film remake Suspiria, which earned nearly $180K from just two theaters, posting the best per-theater performance since Call Me By Your Name ($107K per theater in November of 2017.
Be sure to check back here next weekend to see what happens when of a trio of wide releases will try to start November off with a bang. Fox will open Bryan Singer’s Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which already set a new mark for modern musicals in the UK, in 3,800 locations, while Disney will unleash the live-action fantasy drama The Nutcracker and the Four Realms in 3,800 theaters, and Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool, which stars Tiffany Haddish, debut in over 2,400 theaters.