This weekend’s big new release Halloween Ends looks to be coming in on the shallow side of expectations with a projected $43 million opening weekend. That number includes Thursday’s strong $5.4 million from preview screenings that began at 5pm. The good news however is that with just a $30 million production budget before marketing costs, the film will still end its run as a financially successful movie, and that is really all that matters.
Sadly, it appears that word of mouth on this one is probably not going to be super strong with audiences divided on whether or not it was a suitable conclusion to this 44 year old franchise. Having seen the movie, all I will say is that the last 15 minutes are really good! I guess on some level you have to respect the filmmakers for taking a chance on a vastly different way of telling the story, but to quote Jason Bateman in Dodgeball: “That’s a bold strategy cotton, let’s see if it pays off for them!” Our own JimmyO found enough to like in the film with his 7/10 review, which tells you the true divisive nature of Halloween Ends, meaning if you are a fan of the franchise at all, it is worth your time to check out to see which side of the divide you fall on.
It does appear that the surprise hit Smile is digging into some of Halloween’s box office as that horror film is looking to only drop 37% from last weekend’s numbers with an estimated $11.7 million. Word of mouth is really fueling this surprise hit, and with another 2 weekends to go before Halloween, you can expect this one to continue to pull in solid numbers as people seek out spooky entertainment.
The remainder of the top five is in line with our predictions with Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile looking to have a decent hold from last weeks underwhelming debut.
Did you check out Halloween Ends this weekend (in theaters or on Peacock)? If so, let us know what you thought in the comments and don’t forget to check back tomorrow for a full rundown of this weekend’s box office numbers.