We are just a couple weeks away from Halloween and another horror sequel took advantage of that. It\u2019s about as high as the numbers get this weekend as it made more than the next four films on the list combined. One of the new openers in that grouping is an unfortunate reminder of the dire state of the \u201cR\u201d-rated comedy in a time when we should all be looking for a laugh.<\/p>\n
KING of the Crop: The Grabber Dials in<\/p>\n
When Scott Derrickson\u2019s adaptation of Joe Hill\u2019s\u00a0The Black Phone\u00a0hit theaters in June of 2022, it had the 13th\u00a0best opening of the year up to that point with $23.6 million. On the same weekend as Elvis\u2019 $31.2 million. It went on to gross over $90 million domestic and $161 million globally. With an $18 million budget, it was second only to\u00a0Smile\u00a0amongst the most successful horror films of the year. 2025 has certainly turned into the year of horror profit with\u00a0The Conjuring: Last Rites, Weapons, Final Destination: Bloodlines,\u00a0and\u00a0Sinners\u00a0leading the way.<\/p>\n
Derrickson\u2019s\u00a0Black Phone 2<\/a>\u00a0arrives three years later with a mild downgrade with critics (74% vs. 81%) but a solid $26.5 million to lead the way just a couple of weeks before Halloween.\u00a0Smile 2\u00a0opened on the same weekend last year to $23 million and went on to gross just over $69 million. It was second place on Halloween with competition from\u00a0Terrifier 3\u00a0in third place.\u00a0Black Phone 2\u00a0has a clear runway to horror\u2019s holiday (which will be on a Friday this year) with no direct competition for the genre crowd unless they are busy seeing Bruce Springsteen or Colleen Hoover films or singing along to\u00a0KPop Demon Hunters\u00a0as Netflix just announced for that weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n As long as word of mouth is decent, this should be able to make its way to at least $60 million. Both\u00a0Zombieland\u00a0films opened between $24-27 million and made their way to over $73 million. David Gordon Green\u2019s\u00a0The Exorcist: Believer began with $26.4 million and finished with over $65 million.\u00a0Happy Death Day\u00a0and\u00a0Dracula Untold\u00a0opened with $26 million and $23.5 million, respectively, and finished with $55.6 million and $56.2 million, respectively. Black Phone 2, with its increased $30 million budget, is certainly hoping for the\u00a0Smile 2\u00a0run. Globally the film is at $42 million.<\/p>\n Rotten Returns: Aziz Ansari makes his directorial debut with good fortune<\/p>\n A few years ago, Sony platformed\u00a0Dumb Money\u00a0in September to the eventual tune of $13.9 million total domestic, which is neither here nor there other than Seth Rogen went from\u00a0Dumb Money\u00a0to\u00a0Good Fortune<\/a>, including winning several Emmys this year. Lionsgate\u2019s release of Aziz Ansari\u2019s feature directorial debut, with a 78% from critics, opened to just $6.2 million in third place. The modern\u00a0Sullivan\u2019s Travels\/Trading Places\u00a0riff with the added angel Keanu Reeves was made for a reported $30 million.<\/p>\n Angels in cinema over the years have ranged from comedies (Michael, Dogma) to romance (City of Angels, Date with an Angel) to horror (Legion, The Prophecy). Just to name a few. Don\u2019t worry we certainly don\u2019t forget classics like\u00a0It\u2019s a Wonderful Life\u00a0or\u00a0Wings of Desire\u00a0either. But the focus will be less on \u201caudiences want less angels\u201d and more on \u201cwhere is the audience for R-rated comedies?\u201d Since the pandemic, here are the top grossers in that category.<\/p>\n Anyone But You\u00a0($88.3 million),\u00a0Jackass Forever\u00a0($57.7 million),\u00a0No Hard Feelings\u00a0($50.4 million),\u00a0One Of Them Days ($50.0 million),\u00a0Poor Things\u00a0($34.5 million),\u00a0Asteroid City\u00a0($28.1 million),\u00a0Strays\u00a0($23.9 million),\u00a0Like a Boss\u00a0($22.1 million),\u00a0American Fiction\u00a0($21.0 million),\u00a0and The Holdovers\u00a0($20.3 million).<\/p>\n That may even be stretching the boundary of the comedy label but the marketplace has been so light for this brand of film that Yorgos Lanthimos, Wes Anderson, and Alexander Payne made the list. Not to mention Cord Jefferson who, when he won the screenplay Oscar for\u00a0American Fiction,\u00a0implored Hollywood to \u201cinstead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies. Or 50 $4 million movies.\u201d Which is great \u2014 as long as audiences show up. In a perfect world for\u00a0Good Fortune,\u00a0they would look at the miniscule $6 million that\u00a0Anyone But You\u00a0(the second worst-reviewed film in that group)\u00a0opened to and expanded through word-of-mouth over the holidays to the top of that list. But this certainly is not a perfect world.<\/p>\n Tales of the top 10: TRON: Ares comes in second;\u00a0Roofman remains in the top five <\/p>\n There\u2019s another film that could have easily gone from the King of the Crop section straight into Rotten Returns this weekend. Disney certainly did not need another high-profile bomb after\u00a0Snow White\u00a0and\u00a0Elio\u00a0this year, but\u00a0Tron: Ares<\/a>\u00a0is shaping up to be just that and then some. Not quite as dire as\u00a0Snow\u00a0but worse than\u00a0Elio\u00a0and a number that will take some focus off of\u00a0One Battle After Another. A drop of 67% down to $11.1 million puts Ares at just $54.5 million after 10 days. That is the second worst sophomore weekend for an October release opening over $30 million. (Halloween Ends\u00a0had an $8 million second weekend.) $100 million domestic is well off the table and with only another $48 million overseas, $200 million may be as well. China and Japan accounted for just under $43 million of\u00a0Tron: Legacy\u2019s international gross. Japan only chipped in $1.1 million last weekend and it opened in China this weekend to $2.8 million.\u00a0Snow White\u00a0had made $66.9 million in its first ten days after a $14.3 million second weekend. That could put\u00a0Ares\u2019 final total between $70-75 million domestic. Possibly less than ever\u00a0Morbius.<\/p>\n Reports are starting to break on how Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s\u00a0One Battle After Another<\/a>\u00a0could be in the hole $100 million by the time it leaves theaters. As of now, it is still here in the top five, grossing $3.7 million this weekend. That brings its 24-day total to $61.9 million domestic. That is still a couple million ahead of\u00a0Killers of the Flower Moon, keeping\u00a0Battle\u00a0on pace to break $70 million domestic. Globally, the film is past $162 million, which is more than any $130+ million Netflix project has made in theaters. The film is also now 35th\u00a0on the list we introduced last week of 2.5+ hour \u201cR\u201d-rated films; 19 of which have been nominated for Best Picture and six have won. Anderson\u2019s film will also increase the numbers on one, or possibly both, of those lists.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Derek Cianfrance\u2019s\u00a0Roofman<\/a>\u00a0opened to just $8 million last weekend. This week, it is down to $3.7 million to bring its total to $15.5 million. That is a little over a million than the Justin Timberlake\/Ben Affleck gambling film, Runner Runner, which had a $3.77 million second weekend. Continuing on that path could get the film just over $20 million total. As mentioned last week, that is right in the lane of Tatum\u2019s previous three films,\u00a0Magic Mike\u2019s Last Dance,\u00a0Fly Me to the Moon,\u00a0and\u00a0Blink Twice, which all finished between $20-26 million.<\/p>\n For the past five weeks, there have been at least three horror films in the top ten. This week we are down to two, with the leading\u00a0Black Phone 2\u00a0and the concluding\u00a0The Conjuring: Last Rites<\/a>,\u00a0which is in its seventh weekend of release and has passed $175 million domestic and $305 million internationally for a total of $482 million. Even if it comes up short of hitting the half-a-billion mark, it has already made it into the top five highest-grossing horror films of all-time, inflation notwithstanding.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Luca Guadagnino\u2019s\u00a0After the Hunt<\/a>\u00a0opened to $158,679 in six theaters last weekend. The $26,447 per theater average was the 8th\u00a0best of the year (and fourth best amongst limited releases) for films released in at least two venues. This week, it expanded to 1,300 theaters, where the Julia Roberts-led drama grossed just $1.56 million. When his film,\u00a0Bones and All (82%), moved from five theaters into 2,727 in its second weekend, it made just $3.6 million. That and\u00a0Challengers\u00a0(88%) are the only films that made it into as many theaters as\u00a0Hunt, though the new one is also the worst-reviewed film on his resume to date, with a 44%.\u00a0Hunt\u00a0certainly won\u2019t reach the $18 million made by his Oscar player,\u00a0Call Me By Your Name (95%), but it may even struggle to best last year\u2019s\u00a0Queer\u00a0(78%), with Daniel Craig, which made $3.7 million and was in never more than 460 theaters.<\/p>\n Rounding out the rest of the top ten, the latest from Angel Studios is in sixth place.\u00a0Truth & Treason<\/a>\u00a0made $2.72 million and is actually the second-best reviewed film (92%) in their three-year history. Their best was this year\u2019s family film,\u00a0Sketch\u00a0(97%), which grossed just a total of $8.1 million. Angel\u2019s last three releases, including\u00a0Sketch\u00a0and\u00a0The Senior,\u00a0all opened between $2.4-2.72 million. Last week\u2019s faith-based drama,\u00a0Soul On Fire<\/a>, fell to $1.3 million, bringing its total to $5.5 million. Finally,\u00a0Gabby\u2019s Dollhouse: The Movie<\/a>\u00a0made $1.6 million, driving its domestic total to $29.9 million. Getting over $30 million here and $58 million globally are minor consolations for the $32 million production.\u00a0<\/p>\n Beyond the top ten: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba \u2013 Infinity Castle leaves the chat\u00a0<\/p>\n Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba \u2013 Infinity Castle<\/a>\u00a0ends its top ten run with $1.3 million and over $131 million domestic. With over $659 million worldwide, we currently have a global top five for 2025 that includes this and\u00a0Ne Zha 2 combining for $2.55 billion.<\/p>\n It is limited release season and this week we have Kelly Reichardt\u2019s\u00a0The Mastermind<\/a>\u00a0(91%),mwith Josh O\u2019Connell, in five theaters. The Mubi release grossed $104,000. Jafar Panahi\u2019s\u00a0It Was Just an Accident<\/a>\u00a0(97%) made $68,000 in three theaters and Richard Linklater\u2019s\u00a0Blue Moon<\/a>,\u00a0with Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley, opened to $67,000 in five theaters.<\/p>\n Todd Rohal\u2019s\u00a0Fuck My Son!<\/a>\u00a0from Cartuna, which played the Toronto Film Festival and Fantastic Fest, is going the roadshow route and promising to never be available to watch online. In four late shows at New York\u2019s IFC Center this weekend, it grossed $8,500. Next weekend, it moves to Los Angeles. Texas the week after, followed by Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Chicago, and continues with a string of bookings into next February.<\/p>\n On the Vine: Jeremy Allen White Transforms into Bruce Springsteen<\/p>\n Jeremy Allen White steps into the shoes of the legendary rocker in Scott Cooper\u2019s\u00a0Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/a>. The film is hoping to follow in the footsteps of other successful music biopics as well as be an awards player this season. After its showings at Telluride and the New York Film Festival, the film has a 74% with critics. After last year\u2019s success of It Ends With Us, Paramount is hoping their Colleen Hoover adaptation, Regretting You, strikes a chord with audiences. (So far, they aren\u2019t screening the film for press.) Finally, the latest film from Yorgos Lanthimos, with Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons,\u00a0Bugonia<\/a>, hits theaters in a limited release before going wide the following.<\/p>\n Full List of Box Office Results: October 17-19, 2025<\/p>\n Black Phone 2<\/a> \u2013 $26.5 million ($26.5 million total)<\/p>\n Tron: Ares<\/a> \u2013 $11.1 million ($54.5 million total)<\/p>\n Good Fortune<\/a> \u2013 $6.2 million ($6.2 million total)<\/p>\n One Battle After Another<\/a> \u2013 $4.0 million ($61.9 million total)<\/p>\n Roofman<\/a> \u2013 $3.7 million ($15.5 million total)<\/p>\n Truth & Treason<\/a> \u2013 $2.7 million ($2.7 million total)<\/p>\n The Conjuring: Last Rites<\/a> \u2013 $2.9 million ($172.4 million total)<\/p>\n \u00a0After the Hunt<\/a> \u2013 $1.56 million ($1.7 million total)<\/p>\n Gabby\u2019s Dollhouse: The Movie<\/a> \u2013 $3.3 million ($26.4 million total)<\/p>\n Soul On Fire<\/a> \u2013 $3.0 million ($3.0 million total)\u00a0<\/p>\n Erik Childress can be heard each week evaluating box office\u00a0on\u00a0Business First AM<\/a>\u00a0with Angela Miles and his\u00a0Movie Madness Podcast<\/a>. [box office figures via\u00a0Box Office Mojo<\/a>]<\/p>\n Thumbnail image by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures \/ courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n