Halloween Box Office: ‘Regretting You,’ ‘Black Phone 2’ Lead Worst Weekend of 2025

The domestic box office recorded its worst weekend of the year, generating a mere $49 million, exacerbated by Halloween falling on a Friday, competing sports events, and a dearth of new releases. This weak performance contributed to October's overall domestic earnings of $425 million, marking the lowest monthly haul in 27 years, excluding the pandemic. While "Regretting You" surprisingly led the weekend with $8.1 million, the industry is critically awaiting a significant boost from major releases scheduled from mid-November through year-end to reverse the "scary-slow" trend.

Analysis

The domestic box office recorded its worst weekend of the year, generating a mere $49 million between Friday and Sunday, a significant decline attributed to Halloween falling on a Friday, competing MLB championships, and a notable absence of new releases. This weak performance contributed to October's overall domestic earnings stalling at $425 million, marking the lowest monthly haul in 27 years, excluding the pandemic era, according to Comscore. The general sentiment for the sector is strongly negative, reflecting this 'scary-slow' period.

Despite the overall downturn, Oscar contenders and big-budget tentpoles largely struggled to gain traction. The Colleen Hoover adaptation "Regretting You" surprisingly led the weekend with $8.1 million in its sophomore outing, declining only 41% from its debut and accumulating $50 million globally against a $30 million budget. Universal's "Black Phone 2" also performed relatively well, grossing $61 million domestically and $104 million globally to date.

Netflix's re-release of "KPop Demon Hunters" and Sony/Crunchyroll's "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc" each estimated $6 million for the weekend, with "Chainsaw Man" demonstrating strong international appeal with $109 million overseas. The industry now critically awaits a significant boost from major releases scheduled from mid-November through year-end, including Disney's "Zootopia 2" and Universal's "Wicked: For Good," which are deemed "vitally important" for sector recovery.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Closely monitor the box office performance of major Q4 releases from studios like Disney and Universal, as their success is critical for the overall sector's recovery from the recent downturn
• Differentiate between overall market weakness and specific studio or content outperformance, noting Netflix's positive sentiment and Sony's international success with anime as potential areas of relative strength
• Evaluate how evolving consumer preferences and diversified distribution strategies, such as re-releases or strong international appeal, might mitigate theatrical volatility and inform long-term investment theses in media companies