Hollywood's Halloween weekend box office proved to be more trick than treat, with overall numbers hitting a multi-decade low. The top two films, "Regretting You" and "Black Phone 2," found themselves in a surprisingly tight race for the number one spot.
"Regretting You," the romantic drama adapted from Colleen Hoover's novel, narrowly edged out the competition, taking the top spot with an estimated $8.1 million. This marks a rare second-frame leap to the number one position for the Paramount Pictures release. The film, directed by Josh Boone and starring McKenna Grace and Allison Williams, has garnered a solid $27.5 million domestically and over $50 million worldwide. Its international earnings matched domestic, with $8.2 million from 56 markets, bringing its global total to $50.8 million. The top three territories internationally are the UK ($5.1M), Germany ($3.3M), and Australia ($2.6M).
Universal's "Black Phone 2" trailed closely behind, securing the number two position with $8 million in its third weekend. The horror sequel, featuring the return of Ethan Hawke as the villainous Grabber, has grossed $61.5 million in the U.S. and has surpassed $104 million globally. Despite expectations that "Black Phone 2" would dominate the Halloween weekend, "Regretting You" managed to pull ahead in a photo finish. "Black Phone 2" opened to $26.5 million, surpassing the original's $23.6 million debut. The film's success is a welcome win for Blumhouse after a string of disappointments earlier in the year.
The overall Halloween weekend box office was notably weak, with the cumulative gross of the top 10 films reaching the lowest figure in over three decades. This slump can be attributed to several factors, including the ongoing post-summer slowdown, lingering effects of the 2023 SAG-WGA strikes, and the absence of major horror releases timed specifically for Halloween. The total 3-day weekend gross was $55,047,680, which is -26.2% down from the previous week and -23.2% from the same weekend in 2024.
Other films that made it into the top 5 include "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc" which grossed $6 million, "Bugonia" with $4.8 million, and a re-release of "Back to the Future" which brought in $4.7 million.
The underwhelming performance of the Halloween box office caps off a particularly slow October. The lack of major debuts and external factors, such as Halloween falling on a Friday and game 7 of the World Series, contributed to the dismal numbers. With the exception of October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, this October's total ticket sales ($443 million) have not been this low since 1998 ($455.5 million).
