Universal’s horror sequel Halloween Ends debuted with $41.2M in first place, with a simultaneous day-and-date release in cinemas and on Peacock. That’s slightly below pre-release projections, which were around the $45M-$50M range.
The estimated audience for Ends was 36% Hispanic, versus 33% white. It was also 62% younger than 35.
The word-of-mouth looks poor, with a C+ CinemaScore. Compounded with the film’s streaming availability, it looks like a front-loaded run for the closing chapter of David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy.
Overseas, the film debuted with $17.1M in 77 markets, for a $58.4M global opening. Although its domestic opening was down from its predecessor’s debut, the global opening was actually up +4% over Kills ($55.8M).
Top overseas markets for Ends include:
For the past two weekends, Paramount’s horror Smile led the box office: first with $22.6M, on the higher end of pre-release projections, then falling only -18% to repeat in first place with $18.5M.
That marked the mildest sophomore weekend drop of any major wide-release film of 2022 so far, whether horror or otherwise.
Now in its third weekend, it falls only -33% to $12.4M and second place.
Like for its second weekend, that was a milder drop than expected, especially given the debut of Halloween Ends in the same genre. Projections were in the slightly lower $10M-$11M range.
Through 17 days, Smile has now earned a $71.1M domestic total. That’s:
Overseas, Smile ’s second weekend actually increased +19% in holdover markets. Now in its third frame, it declines only -16%.
The film has now earned $66.4M overseas in 61 markets, for a $137.5M global total. Top overseas market totals include:
Last weekend, Sony Pictures’ family musical Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile had a green lead character but didn’t see much green, opening in second place with $11.5M, below pre-release projections of around $15M.
This weekend, it falls -35% to $7.4M and third place, slightly higher than projections around $6.5M to $7M.
That drop was milder than:
However, its drop was slightly steeper than for April’s The Bad Guys (-32%).
Overseas, Lyle has only opened in a few markets so far, earning $3.9M overseas for a $26.4M global total.
Last weekend, 20th Century Studios’ period crime film Amsterdam opened in third place with $6.5M, below pre-release projections which were in the $8M-$10M range.
This weekend, with poor word-of-mouth, it falls a sharp -55% to $2.8M.
Compared to the sophomore weekend drops in wide release for writer-director David O. Russell’s other films, that’s steeper than:
Compared to other adult-skewing crime films with large ensemble casts, it’s also steeper than:
Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick declined only -15% to $685K. That’s the #70 largest twenty-first weekend of all time.
After earning “only” the #41 opening weekend of all time ($126.7M), it remained within the top-20 of all time on each respective weekend for months. More recently, though, it’s started to fall back back to earth, with the:
One of the few films to ever record a higher twentieth weekend? 1986’s original Top Gun , which ranks #6 all time on that measure with $2.4M.
Overseas, Maverick stands at $766.9M, for $1.48B globally. That makes it by far the top film of 2022 so far, both globally and domestically. The runner-up globally is Jurassic World: Dominion with $1.00B.
Last weekend, Focus Features’ TÁR , starring Cate Blanchett, opened in four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles with $158K, for a $39,655 per-theater average. That was the #3 per-theater average of 2022 so far.
It ranked behind only March’s Everything Everywhere All at Once ($50,131, from $501K in 10 theaters) and May’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($41,337, from $187.4M in 4,534 theaters).
In its second weekend, TÁR expanded to 36 theaters but dropped -77% to $36K.
TÁR expands to a wider release on October 28.
Last weekend, Neon’s Triangle of Sadness opened with $214K in 10 theaters, for a $21,460 average. That was the #15 per-theater average of 2022 so far.
This weekend, it expanded slightly to 31 screens, increasing +57% to $336K.
Triangle won the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
United Artists Releasing’s and MGM’s historical drama Till opened with $240K in 16 theaters, for a $15,059 average.
That opening per-theater average is below several comparable films real-life African-American figures from American history:
The estimated audience for Till was 55% female and 47% black (versus 30% white).
[Read Boxoffice PRO ’s feature on the film, including quotes from director Chinoye Chukwu, here .]
The film will expand nationwide on October 28.
MUBI’s Decision to Leave earned 90,729 in three theaters, for a $30,243 average. That marks the #9 per-theater average of 2022 so far.
The film won Park Chan-wook Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival.
Total box office this weekend came in around $76.7M, which is:
Year-to-date box office stands around $5.86B. That’s:
Boxoffice Staff • Oct 9th
Smile Last weekend, Paramount’s horror Smile led the box office with $22.60M, on the higher end of pre-release projections, which were around $19M. This weekend, it falls only -22% to $17.6M and repeating in first place. That’s notably above projections...
Boxoffice Staff • Oct 6th
Sony Pictures’ R-rated action comedy Bullet Train cleared the $100M mark on Friday, September 30, the 13th release of 2022 to do so and the first since Nope on August 9. Here’s the list of 2022’s films which have reached a $100M...
Boxoffice Staff • Oct 2nd
Smile Paramount’s horror Smile led the box office with an estimated $22.0M, on the higher end of pre-release projections, which were around $19M. In fact, Paramount’s tentative weekend estimate on Saturday was $19M, but by Sunday they’d increased it to...
Boxoffice Staff • Sep 25th
Don’t Worry Darling Warner Bros. historical psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling debuted in first place with $19.2M. That’s about in line with pre-release projection, if slightly on the lower end, with some projections closer to $22M. Compared to some other...