It was a tight battle for #1 this weekend. Sunday estimates had Regretting You taking the top spot, just $100K above Black Phone 2. But with Monday actuals, Black Phone 2 reclaimed the top spot thanks to a lighter Sunday drop. Either way, Mason Thames had the rare honor of starring in the two biggest movies this weekend. Not everyone can say that.

With absolutely no new wide releases, the Halloween weekend was a very quiet place for moviegoers. The only notable thing was that Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia had a very good debut in its wide expansion, achieving his best weekend ever.

The Top 10 earned a combined $47 million this weekend. That's down 25.6%, when Venom: The Last Dance repeated at #1. Overall gross represented $55.5 million, which is the fourth lowest of the year. Thanks to a very underwhelming line-up, October 2025 posted just $428 million, which was the worst since 1997 (excluding 2020 for obvious reasons).

Why do studios avoid the Halloween weekend? Well, it's a very busy weekend, given that people choose to attend other events instead of going to the movies. It's even more complicated when Halloween falls on Friday. The date is full of the type of distractions (trick-or-treating, parties, etc.) that keep moviegoers away from theaters. In the previous six times that Halloween fell on a weekend, only two years (2008 and 2010) had a film reach $20 million on the weekend. As such, studios avoid releasing big stuff here. And then you also have the final two games of the 2025 World Series, which was the main attraction this weekend.

After dropping to third place last week, Universal/Blumhouse's Black Phone 2 returned to the top spot with $8.3 million. Thanks to its Halloween connection, the film eased just 35%, which allowed it to have the best second weekend drop among all Top 10 wide releases. While it started with a lead over the original, the film has earned $61.7 million domestically, which is now behind the original through the same point. But it's $10 million ahead of Smile 2 through the same point. Assuming it can hold well for the next few weeks, it should close with around $75 million.

Paramount's Regretting You originally called in as the #1 movie this week, but weekend actuals had it settle for second place with $7.8 million. That's a fine 43% drop, which is much better than It Ends with Us (52%), although that film opened to almost four times as much. Through 10 days, the film has earned $27.2 million, and it should reach $40 million by the end of its run.

Last week's champ Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc added $6.2 million this weekend. That's a steep 66% drop, but that drop is actually better-than-average for an anime IP; those titles drop at least 70%. Through 10 days, it has earned $30.9 million, and could hit $40 million.

KPop Demon Hunters returned to theaters, this time playing at a larger screen count (2,890). But it seems the novelty wore off, as the film made $5.9 million, far off from the $18 million it opened with back in August, and that was in far less theaters.

In fifth place, Focus Features' Bugonia debuted with a solid $5 million in 2,043 theaters, taking its 10-day total to $6 million. This is easily Yorgos Lanthimos' biggest ever weekend, and it also outgrossed the domestic lifetime of Kinds of Kindness ($5 million).

This is a solid debut; it's hard to ask for much better numbers, considering Lanthimos doesn't make mainstream titles. The fact that it could get his biggest weekend is thanks to Focus' strong marketing, which highlighted its satire and crazy premise. Reviews have been great so far (87% on RT), and some Oscar buzz has helped it attract interest.

According to Focus Features, 61% of the audience was male, and 63% was in the 18-34 demographic. They gave it a "B" on CinemaScore, which is below Poor Things (A–), but it's still a solid grade considering the film's tone. The film will have some adult drama competition in the next few weeks, but it should still hit over $15 million domestically by the end of its run.

Universal re-released Back to the Future in 2,290 theaters for its 40th anniversary. It earned $4.9 million, taking its lifetime gross to $221 million.

After its weak debut last week, Springsteen: Deliver Me to Nowhere had a rough drop. It dropped 58%, for a $3.7 million weekend. That's a brutal drop for a music biopic, especially considering that this was aimed at older demographics. Through 10 days, it has made just $16.2 million, and it won't make it much further than $20 million domestically.

Tron: Ares had its best drop yet. It dropped 38%, adding $3 million. But with just $68.1 million in the bank, it's hard to consider it a win. Look for this to finish with around $72 million.

Briarcliff Entertainment released Stitch Head in 2,162 theaters, but the film flopped with just $2 million ($2.4 million five-day). Expect this to fade quickly.

Rounding out the Top 10 was Lionsgate's Good Fortune, which dropped 53% for a $1.4 million weekend. The film has made $14.6 million, and it will close very quickly.

One Battle After Another dropped 47%, adding $1.1 million. That takes its domestic gross to $67.8 million.

Roofman dropped 50% for a $1 million weekend. The film's domestic total stands at $21.3 million.

Turns out people didn't want to get Stuckmannized. Neon's Shelby Oaks collapsed 67%, earning just $770,423 this weekend. It has earned $3.9 million, and it will fade quickly from theaters.

S. S. Rajamouli's newest film, Baahubali: The Epic, debuted with $825,040 in 448 theaters. In comparison, RRR earned $9.5 million, although that was playing in 1,200 theaters.

OVERSEAS

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc added $8.4 million, taking the worldwide total to $139 million. The best markets are South Korea ($20.9M), the UK ($2.8M), Germany ($2.7M), France ($2.6M) and Mexico ($2.1M).

Regretting You added $8.2 million, crossing the $50 million worldwide milestone. The best markets are the UK ($5.1M), Germany ($3.3M), Australia ($2.6M), Mexico ($2.2M) and Brazil ($1.4M).

Black Phone 2 added $7.3 million overseas, allowing it to cross $100 million worldwide. The best markets are Mexico ($9.8M), UK ($4.3M), Brazil ($3M), Australia ($2.3M) and France ($1.7M).

One Battle After Another continues fighting for its life. It added $5 million, taking its worldwide total to $190 million. The best markets are the UK ($15.1M), France ($13M), Germany ($9.5M), China ($6.8M) and Italy ($5.8M). In the next weeks, it should finally cross $200 million.

Making its debut in 46 markets, Bugonia earned $4.4 million overseas, for a $11.3 million worldwide launch. It still has lots of markets left to open.

FILMS THAT ENDED THEIR RUN THIS WEEK

Movie Release Date Studio Domestic Opening Domestic Total Worldwide Total Budget The Long Walk Sep/12 Lionsgate $11,703,621 $35,163,573 $49,071,826 $20M The Smashing Machine Oct/3 A24 $5,841,662 $11,357,580 $19,778,902 $50M

Lionsgate's The Long Walk has closed with $35 million domestically and $49 million worldwide. Not one of Stephen King's biggest hits, but it's a solid success regardless. Buoyed by strong reviews and word of mouth, it legged out to 3x multiplier. Not bad.

No one wanted to know what The Rock was cooking. A24's The Smashing Machine has closed after just 4 weeks with a poor $11 million domestically and $19 million worldwide, failing to come anywhere close to its $50 million budget. This is Rock's worst ever wide release, finally dethroning Faster ($35 million worldwide). Even though the film garnered buzz in Venice, reviews declined as the film got closer to release. The film experienced poor word of mouth, which is why it dropped off a cliff after its weak debut. While this was sold as an awards vehicle for the Rock, it'd be a surprise if it garnered anything notable, considering there's very little passion.

THIS WEEKEND

20th Century Studios is releasing Predator: Badlands, the latest installment in the Predator franchise. After Prey and Killer of Killers were released on Hulu, this is heading straight to theaters. While the franchise has had its up-and-downs at the box office, the past two installments have received very positive reviews and reigniting some interest. Well, this is gonna be a test if the franchise can make a comeback in theaters.

MUBI is releasing Lynne Ramsay's Die My Love, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. After its Cannes premiere, MUBI bought it for a record $24 million and plan to launch it in around 1,500 theaters. Lawrence has garnered acclaim for her performance, and there's some Oscar buzz circulating. Could it surprise?

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