If there is anything we can get from this weekend’s box office, it is that moviegoers are looking for provocative content that let them know their hearts’ are still pumping. Case in point, Blumhouse/Universal Pictures’ Halloween Ends and Paramount Pictures’ Smile racked up a healthy amount of box office grosses over the weekend (Oct. 14-16) to the pleasure of eager audiences.
Starting with the No. 1 film, Halloween Ends accumulated a whopping domestic gross of $41.3M in 3,901 theaters over its opening weekend. Thursday night previews and Friday showings drew in $20.4M, while Saturday box office saw a 36.3% drop to $13M and a pretty decent Sunday gross of $7.8M. By Monday, it was estimated that the horror flick made 29.4% of its earnings internationally at $17.2M, totaling $58.4M worldwide.
Full of nostalgia and just in time for the Halloween season, Halloween Ends is one of those films that moviegoers will see based on its brand recognition as a timeless franchise that has terrorized audiences since the release of the original in 1978. The John Carpenter and Debra Hill classic stars veteran Halloween protagonist, Jamie Lee Curtis, along with Andi Matichak and James Jude Courtney.
Moving on to Smile, the original concept alone was enough to draw in curious audiences to see the Parker Finn written and directed film. Now in its third week, Smile is still garnering significant box office as it surpasses the $100M mark. This weekend, the movie drew in $12.4M in 3,612 theaters, adding to last weekend’s (Oct. 7-9) $18.5M.
The film is nearly even in domestic and international box office, earning $71.2M in the States and $66.4M beyond, for a $137.6M worldwide total, a phenomenal feat for an original film by an up-and-coming director. Full of unsettling surprises and mind-boggling visions, Smile is an instant hit that plays on social anxiety in a provocative way.
With that said, audiences are begging for excitement and unexpected twists and turns, at least that seems to be the sentiment this holiday season.
