The latest weekend at the North Americanbox office saw a continued triumph for anime and horror holdovers, while new Hollywood releases largely stumbled. Overall box office returns are currently 4.4% ahead of the previous year but remain more than 22% behind 2019 figures. Upcoming major releases like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Taylor Swift’s “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” are anticipated to provide a boost in the coming weeks.

Leading the box office for its second consecutive frame was Sony-owned Crunchyroll’s “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle.” The anime sensation easily ruled again with $17.3 million, despite a roughly 75% drop from its record-breaking $70 million debut. This notable performance pushed its domestic total to $103 million, making it the highest-grossing anime film in North American box office history. Globally, “Demon Slayer” has amassed an astounding $555 million, with $451 million from international markets, cementing its status as the highest-grossing anime film worldwide. “Infinity Castle” is the inaugural film in a planned trilogy, following a boy’s quest to avenge his family and cure his demon-turned sister, setting a strong precedent for its sequels.

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Among the new releases, Universal’s sports thriller “Him,” produced by Jordan Peele and directed by Justin Tipping, opened slightly below expectations at $13.5 million from 3,168 North American venues, securing the No. 2 spot. The film, about an aging quarterback (Marlon Wayans) training a rising football star (Tyriq Withers) with chilling consequences, faced significant criticism, earning a 28% Rotten Tomatoes average and a “C-” CinemaScore grade. Analyst David A. Gross noted that while a ‘C’ or ‘C+’ is common for horror, a ‘C-‘ indicates audience dissatisfaction. Internationally, “Him” struggled even more, collecting a mere $400,000 from 25 markets, bringing its global total to $13.86 million against a modest $27 million production budget. Experts attribute the poor overseas performance to the niche popularity of American football.

This weekend’s other major new release, Sony’s romantic drama “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” fared considerably worse. Despite starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, the film cratered in sixth place with a disappointing $3.5 million from 3,330 venues. It received terrible reviews (38% Rotten Tomatoes) and a “B-” CinemaScore, indicating poor audience reception.

Directed by Kogonada from a script by Seth Reiss, the R-rated film about two strangers reliving past moments also flopped internationally with $4.5 million from 45 markets, resulting in a bleak $8 million worldwide total. With a substantial $45 million price tag, recouping its costs will be a significant challenge, especially given the lukewarm critical and audience scores.

Holdover titles continued to perform strongly, rounding out the top five. Third place went to “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” which added a sizable $13 million in its third weekend, pushing its domestic total to $151.2 million and global gross to $400 million. This makes it the highest-grossing film in the popular paranormal franchise, contributing to Warner Bros.-owned New Line Cinema’s successful year, which has already surpassed $1 billion thanks to other horror hits like “Final Destination: Bloodlines” and “Weapons.”

Tying for fourth place with an estimated $6.3 million each were Lionsgate’s Stephen King adaptation “The Long Walk” and Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.” “The Long Walk,” a thriller about teens in a brutal walking contest, showed a decent hold, declining by 46% from its debut. Against a $20 million budget, it has generated $22.7 million domestically. “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” designed as a farewell to the beloved franchise, experienced a steeper 66% decline from its opening weekend.

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It has garnered $31.6 million in North America and $59.5 million worldwide. While its overseas performance of $8.3 million in its second weekend surpassed its 2022 predecessor, “A New Era,” it couldn't reach the heights of the 2019 original “Downton Abbey,” which grossed $194.6 million globally in a vastly different box office era. Also new to theaters, the Angel Studios sports drama “The Senior” debuted at No. 7 with a softer $2.7 million from 2,405 theaters. The inspirational true story of a 59-year-old becoming a college football linebacker, however, resonated well with audiences, earning an impressive “A” grade on CinemaScore exit polls.