It’s the first time since 2014 that Halloween has fallen on a Friday, creating what is expected to be a challenging weekend for the box office. Friday’s audience is anticipated to shrink significantly due to Halloween festivities, although a scary movie like *Black Phone 2* might still find some traction with moviegoers. Business is expected to bounce back on Saturday as audiences return.
Major studios are cautious about releasing new titles this weekend, but Focus Features is going wide with Yorgos Lanthimos’ *Bugonia*, expanding from 17 theaters to 1,800. The film is expected to earn over $4 million in its second weekend, which would mark the highest wide-release take for a Lanthimos movie. *Bugonia* boasts an impressive Certified Fresh rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a strong audience score of 81%. It posted an excellent $41.7K per-theater average in its opening frame, amassing $709K over the 3-day opening weekend.
Netflix is re-releasing *Kpop Demon Hunters*, which delivered the streamer its first No. 1 box office take with $19 million over August 23-24 during its wide release without AMC theaters. This time, Netflix has secured the No. 1 circuit. While the streamer hasn’t disclosed the exact number of theaters, it’s confirmed to be over 1,000. AMC announced that the animated title will play in 400 of its cinemas worldwide. Competitors expect *Kpop Demon Hunters* to pull in about $6 million this weekend, making it the most-watched Netflix movie ever distributed by Sony Pictures. However, industry insiders believe the film may be reaching the end of its theatrical momentum. So far, the movie has attracted over 541 million global viewers.
As for the No. 1 spot this weekend, it’s projected to be a close race between Universal/Blumhouse’s *Black Phone 2*, benefiting from the spooky holiday, and Paramount’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, *Regretting You*. Both films are expected to earn roughly $7 million each. After five days in release, *Regretting You* has a running total just under $17 million, while *Black Phone 2* is at $51.4 million through its second Tuesday.
Sony/Crunchyroll’s *Chainsaw Man* leads so far this week on Monday and Tuesday, with a cumulative total of $21.8 million. However, it is expected to drop significantly—by around 65% to 70%—in its second weekend, following a trend similar to other anime titles. After earning $18 million last weekend, *Chainsaw Man*’s second weekend is projected to fall to approximately $5 million on the low end.
Fathom Events is also presenting a wide release of Summit/Lionsgate’s *Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn* Parts 1 & 2. Meanwhile, Universal is re-releasing *Back to the Future* in 1,900 theaters, including select IMAX auditoriums.
One distribution executive summed up the upcoming Halloween weekend, saying, “It’s going to be a weird weekend.” Audiences and studios alike seem braced for a unique and unpredictable box office experience.
https://deadline.com/2025/10/box-office-kpop-demon-hunters-halloween-1236602439/
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