Tis the season for horror, as Paramount’s “Smile 2” and Cineverse/Bloody Disgusting’s “Terrifier 3” have proven that there’s plenty of appetite among moviegoers for gruesome Halloween scares to allow them both to thrive at the box office.
Paramount’s sequel to Parker Finn’s 2022 breakout horror hit is matching the start of its predecessor with a $23 million opening weekend from 3,619 theaters. With only a slightly higher production budget at $28 million and Rotten Tomatoes scores of 83% critics and 84% audience, “Smile 2” will be an instant theatrical success as it tries to use the Halloween season to match the $105 million domestic/$217 million global total of the first “Smile.”
“Terrifier 3,” meanwhile, is proving that there’s nothing flash-in-the-pan about its $18.8 million opening weekend, earning $9.3 million this weekend for a respectable 51% second weekend drop in the face of major studio competition as it sits in third place on the charts.
With a 10-day total of $36.2 million against its miniscule $2.5 million production and marketing spend, “Terrifier 3” will have one of the strongest returns on investment seen this year and is on pace for a $50 million-plus domestic run that will make it one of the year’s top 5 highest grossing horror films.
Speaking of indie success, Neon’s “Anora” is also off to a good start in its six-theater opening in New York and Los Angeles. The fifth consecutive Palme D’Or winning release from Neon, “Anora” earned $540,000 this weekend for a $90,000 per theater average, the best of 2024.
Sean Baker’s dramedy boasts critical acclaim with a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score and has cemented its status as a top Oscar contender next year. It will begin its nationwide rollout next weekend.
Elsewhere on the charts, Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Wild Robot” kept its hold on the No. 2 spot, passing the $100 million domestic mark in its fourth weekend as it added $10 million to bring its total to $101 million. Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is in fourth with $5 million in its seventh weekend, bringing its total to $284 million domestic.
In fifth is A24’s new romantic drama release “We Live in Time” starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, earning $4.1 million from just 985 theaters as it prepares to expand next weekend. Reception for the film has been positive with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 80% critics and 89% audience.
Finally, Warner Bros.’ “Joker: Folie a Deux” has crashed out of the top 5 in its third weekend, losing a stunning 1,245 screens as it made just $2.1 million. Its total now stands at $56.4 million domestic and $192 million worldwide as its fate has long been sealed as one of the biggest box office flops of the year.
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