‘Regretting You’ and ‘Black Phone 2’ Battle for Halloween Box Office Crown Amidst Dismal Weekend

The top spot at the Halloween box office is contested between Paramount’s romance-drama Regretting You and Blumhouse’s horror sequel Black Phone 2, as preliminary estimates show a remarkably close race amidst a historically low-performing weekend for movie theaters.

Paramount estimates Regretting You earned $8.1 million from 3,245 cinemas in its second weekend, while Universal projects Black Phone 2 brought in $8 million from 3,425 locations. This mirrors last weekend’s initial reports, which ultimately saw Regretting You take the lead when final numbers were tallied. The actual order for the October 31 – November 2 frame will be confirmed Monday.

Regardless of the ultimate winner, overall ticket sales totaled just $49.8 million, marking the worst showing of the year to date and the lowest-grossing Halloween weekend in 31 years, excluding 2020 when theaters were largely closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Paul Dergarabedian at Comscore, the last time Halloween weekend revenue was lower was in 1993, with $49.2 million in sales (not adjusted for inflation). This downturn highlights a broader trend of declining theatrical attendance this year, potentially impacting future film release strategies.

The weak performance is attributed to a lack of major new releases, relying instead on holdovers and rereleases like Back to the Future, and the expansion of Bugonia, which earned $4.8 million as it expanded to 2,043 theaters. Regretting You, based on the popular novel by Colleen Hoover, saw a 200 percent sales spike on Saturday after a slow Friday, demonstrating the power of its target demographic. You can find more information about Colleen Hoover’s work on her official website.

Final numbers are expected Monday, and studio executives are awaiting confirmation of the weekend’s results.