American cinemas have worst Halloween weekend box office in 31 years

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According to data from the monitoring company Comscore published by the American magazine The Hollywood Reporter, the weekend’s total collection was US$49.8 million, the lowest result since 1993, when Halloween brought in US$49.2 million in cinemas (not adjusted for inflation). This year’s disastrous performance reflects the absence of major commercial releases and crowns the worst October in 27 years at the US box office.

Without hits equivalent to “Venom 3: The Last Round”, released on Halloween 2024, exhibitors resorted to an eclectic menu, which included the re-release of “Back to the Future” and the new Yorgos Lanthimos film, “Bugonia”, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons.

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Among the new titles, the highlight was the romantic drama “If it weren’t for you”, an adaptation of a book by Colleen Hoover produced by Paramount and Constantin Films, which grossed US$ 8.1 million in its second weekend and competes for first place with the horror “The Black Phone 2”, from Blumhouse, which made US$ 8 million. The numbers will be confirmed this Monday (3).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the target audience for “If It Wasn’t For You”, made up of young women, seems to have preferred to go to the cinema after Halloween, on Saturday, when ticket sales for the film grew 200%. In total, “If It Wasn’t For You” totaled US$50.8 million grossed worldwide ($27.5 million in the US and US$23.3 million abroad). “Black Phone 2” surpassed US$104 million in the around the world, consolidating yet another success for the Blumhouse studio.

Among the other productions showing in the USA, the Japanese film “Chainsaw Man: The Movie” fell 67% in revenue, but accumulated US$ 139 million worldwide. “Bugonia”, in turn, came in fourth place, with US$4.8 million, and is already the biggest debut in number of theaters of Lanthimos’ career.

The Hollywood Reporter stated that Halloween remains “a challenge” for the film industry. “When it falls on a Friday, like this year, (the holiday) it tends to keep audiences away from cinemas and turns the Halloween weekend into a nightmare for the box office as well,” said the magazine.