None of the major studios elected to debut a film in wide release this Halloween weekend, ending what was already a quiet October box office on a down note. No feature is expected to even sniff a gross in the eight-digits, which hasn’t happened since the debut of “Novocaine” back in March. Among the newcomers, Netflix has a second theatrical engagement of “KPop Demon Hunters” — this time with AMC Theatres, the world’s largest exhibitor chain, on board — while Focus Features is expanding its acclaimed conspiracy thriller “Bugonia” after a limited bow.
But first place looks to go to the third outing of Universal and Blumhouse’s horror film du jour “Black Phone 2,” which earned $2.3 million on Friday and is projecting a third weekend gross of $7.6 million, down just 41% for the seasonally appropriate holiday weekend. The North American total is forecast for $61 million through Sunday, pacing a touch…