Thanks to strong holdovers, overall business still chalked in 35% ahead of this same weekend last year, when Jigsaw opened on top with $16.6 million.
Unsurprisingly, it was the reboot of Halloween that remained firmly in control this weekend. The horror flick didn't hold well, but it's drop wasn't necessarily alarming either. The well-received follow-up was down 58% in its sophomore frame to $32 million, for a strong $126.7 million pick-up in 10 days. With the titular holiday on Wednesday, expect strong weekday business before things fall back down to earth next weekend. That being said, however, the film's budget was only $10 million. Regardless of how it holds from here, this is a massive success no matter how you look at it.
Benefiting from strong word-of-mouth and awards season buzz, the remake of A Star is Born was down just 26% in its third frame to $14.1 million. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper have earned a huge $148.7 million in 17 days. Bohemian Rhapsody may steal some of its audience next weekend, but, there's a good chance this winds up over $200 million domestically. That would be over five times its $36 million production budget.
Continuing to hold respectably in third place was Sony's Venom. The Spider-Man spin-off was off 40% in its fourth frame to $10.8 million, for a strong $187.3 million pick-up in 24 days. Venom is on track for a finish in the $220 million vicinity. Overseas, it continues to pile in big numbers, with the worldwide gross passing the $500 million milestone over the weekend. A $600-700 million final gross worldwide would definitely be enough for a sequel.
Sony also took fourth place this weekend with their family flick, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween. While not bringing in amazing business, the sequel is turning out to have solid legs. The PG spookfest was off just 23% in its third weekend to $7.5 million, for a moderate $38.3 million pick-up in 17 days. How will it hold beyond Halloween? The first Goosebumps managed to play strong through right before Thanksgiving. With Halloween in this movie's title, however (and competition from The Nutcracker and the Four Realms next weekend), that might be harder to pull off this time around.
The top new release debuted in fifth place this weekend. Gerard Butler's Hunter Killer failed to generate much excitement, opening to $6.7 million. The Lionsgate release was never expected to be a big draw by any means (a late-October release date never spells confidence from any studio), though it did earn a very solid "A-" CinemaScore. The submarine thriller was produced for $40 million, which means there will likely be red ink spilled here.
It was a near three-way tie for sixth place between three very different movies. In the meantime, The Hate U Give stayed put in the sixth spot, easing 33% to $5.1 million. The well-received crime drama has earned a solid $18.3 million since its limited debut four weeks ago. First Man, on the other hand, continued to disappoint. The Neil Armstrong biopic fell 41% in its third frame to $4.9 million, for a weak $37.9 million pick-up in 17 days. Overseas numbers aren't promising either.
Warner Bros. posted another strong hold this weekend for their animated flick Smallfoot. The Yeti tale was down a light 28% in its fifth weekend to $4.8 million, for a very good $72.6 million pick-up in one month release. Next weekend will bring Nutcracker to steal families, so look for a finish a little over $80 million here. It's remained neck and neck with Night School pretty much since the beginning. The Kevin Hart comedy held well in its fifth frame, off 34% to $3.3 million. The comedy has earned a very solid $71.5 million, and also looks to finish around $80 million.
Expanding to over 1,200 locations, Jonah Hill's directorial effort Mid90s broke into the Top 10 with decent results. The dramedy earned $3 million (mild $2,488 per-venue average), for a $3.4 million gross since its limited launch last week. I wouldn't call that number strong enough to expand further, but we will see.
And that's about it. Next weekend, the holiday movie season begins with three movies likely to take the Top 3 spots. The Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody is looking to steal the top spot away from Disney, who launches their latest fantasy The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Finally, Tiffany Haddish and Tyler Perry join forces for the comedy Nobody's Fool. It should be an interesting weekend, look for a predictions post on Wednesday. :)
