Halloween Weekend's Baffling Box Office Performance Leaves Industry Reeling
The Halloween weekend, traditionally a hotbed of movie releases, proved to be one of the most underwhelming in recent history. A staggering absence of new films from major studios resulted in a top 10 box office list that defied logic.
At the very bottom of the heap was the $8 million haul by Black Phone 2 and Regretting You, two movies struggling to stay afloat on their third and second weeks, respectively. It's hard not to wonder if this bleak performance is a tacit endorsement for streaming services over big-screen releases.
But what really raised eyebrows was the proliferation of animated films in the top 10. Chainsaw Man: The Movie took a well-deserved bow at #3, while Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters – the surprise box office hit from weeks ago – limped along to a paltry $5 million. Meanwhile, a film most people had never heard of, Stitch Head, took the less-than-desirable 9th spot.
As one might expect, traditional Hollywood fare fared little better. The excellent Bugonia scraped by at #5, while Bruce Springsteen's biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere and Keanu Reeves' comedy Good Fortune meandered to #7 and #8 respectively. Even the long-anticipated re-release of Back to the Future, a beloved 40-year-old classic, couldn't muster more than $4.7 million – half the amount made by last year's Venom 3 in its second weekend alone.
One theory is that Halloween falling on a Friday, combined with a major sporting event and other factors, kept people at home rather than at the cinema. However, this still doesn't explain why studios seemed to have lost all interest in releasing new films over the holiday period.
All things considered, Halloween weekend was an unmitigated disaster for the box office, marking the lowest-grossing weekend of 2025 thus far and cementing its place as one of the worst Octobers since 1997.
The Halloween weekend, traditionally a hotbed of movie releases, proved to be one of the most underwhelming in recent history. A staggering absence of new films from major studios resulted in a top 10 box office list that defied logic.
At the very bottom of the heap was the $8 million haul by Black Phone 2 and Regretting You, two movies struggling to stay afloat on their third and second weeks, respectively. It's hard not to wonder if this bleak performance is a tacit endorsement for streaming services over big-screen releases.
But what really raised eyebrows was the proliferation of animated films in the top 10. Chainsaw Man: The Movie took a well-deserved bow at #3, while Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters – the surprise box office hit from weeks ago – limped along to a paltry $5 million. Meanwhile, a film most people had never heard of, Stitch Head, took the less-than-desirable 9th spot.
As one might expect, traditional Hollywood fare fared little better. The excellent Bugonia scraped by at #5, while Bruce Springsteen's biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere and Keanu Reeves' comedy Good Fortune meandered to #7 and #8 respectively. Even the long-anticipated re-release of Back to the Future, a beloved 40-year-old classic, couldn't muster more than $4.7 million – half the amount made by last year's Venom 3 in its second weekend alone.
One theory is that Halloween falling on a Friday, combined with a major sporting event and other factors, kept people at home rather than at the cinema. However, this still doesn't explain why studios seemed to have lost all interest in releasing new films over the holiday period.
All things considered, Halloween weekend was an unmitigated disaster for the box office, marking the lowest-grossing weekend of 2025 thus far and cementing its place as one of the worst Octobers since 1997.
This Halloween weekend's box office performance is literally mind-blowing... or should I say, underwhelming? 
The lack of new films from major studios is just wild, and the fact that animated films are dominating the top 10 is a total head-scratcher. Chainsaw Man: The Movie taking #3 is cool and all, but what's up with Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters limping along for like $5 million? 
It's def not good for traditional Hollywood fare either... Bugonia scraping by at #5 and Bruce Springsteen's biopic meandering to #7? 
That's just sad. I think the whole thing is just because people were, like, stuck at home watching sports or whatever, but it doesn't explain why studios dropped the ball this year. Halloween weekend needs to bring its A-game next year, stat! 
. I mean, $8 million for Black Phone 2? That's crazy low! And what's up with all these animated films taking over the box office? It just goes to show that people are not flocking to cinemas like they used to. Theaters need to adapt and get creative or risk losing out to streaming services 
. Maybe it's time for them to start showing more diverse content, or even just having less superhero movies 
.
, but come on, studios need to adapt to the times. Maybe instead of releasing new films over Halloween weekend, they could be focusing on creating more exclusive content for streaming services? It's like they're not even trying to innovate anymore 
.
. And what's up with the lack of new movies from big studios? It's like they're just phoning it in this year 
. I'm still waiting to see how streaming services do, but I hope they can step up their game and bring some excitement back to the box office 
and back to the future lol @ $4.7m who woulda thought that classic wouldnt be enough 2 bring in the dough u gotta wonder wut kinda plan these studios had in store 
but seriously, who thought releasing bugonia in october was a good idea? 
.
chainsaw man: the movie should've done better, but i guess people just aren't interested in anime flicks anymore 
and of course, keanu reeves' comedy is gonna tank... no surprise there 
. I get it, maybe people are at home watching Netflix or whatever, but can't we still expect some decent movies from them? Chainsaw Man: The Movie might be cool and all, but it's not exactly what I'm in the mood for when I'm planning a Halloween movie night 
. And don't even get me started on that Bruce Springsteen biopic... who thought that was a good idea?! 
. I think the studios need to rethink their strategy for Halloween weekend releases. Maybe they should focus on something other than relying on streaming services to make a buck 
.
The numbers are crazy! 
I made a little diagram to try and make sense of it all 
And what's going on with streaming services... is it the answer to a better way to watch movies? 
At least Bugonia was decent, but still, $5 million for a biopic about who knows what? It just doesn't add up to me...
. The fact that only one major release made it into the top 10 is wild, especially considering how many animated films were in there 
.
Box office is a joke right now! Even Halloween weekend, which usually gets some decent movie releases, was a total snooze fest 
. I'm so tired of this industry playing it safe instead of taking risks 
It's like people just aren't going to the movies anymore. A $8 million haul for Black Phone 2 and Regretting You is basically a loss at this point, and you're telling me that's "stable"? 
.