October proved to be a significantly challenging month for the box office, with overall revenues hitting a dismal $425 million across all titles. This marked the worst collective haul since October 1997, when the total was $385 million (not adjusted for inflation), making it an ignominious record, excluding the pandemic-affected year of 2020. Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, described an "inauspicious Halloween" concluding a difficult month. Indeed, the Halloween weekend itself was particularly dreadful, with grosses between Friday and Sunday amounting to just $49 million, representing the worst weekend of the entire year. Holdover titles such as Paramount’s Colleen Hoover adaptation “Regretting You” and Universal’s scary sequel “Black Phone 2” topped the North American charts, highlighting the lack of strong new contenders.

Several factors contributed to this concerning downturn in audience turnout. A significant reason was a scarcity of new major releases. Additionally, the unfortunate timing of Halloween landing on a Friday meant that many families were preoccupied with trick-or-treating activities, diverting their attention from cinemas. The Major League Baseball championships also played a role, with Saturday night's nail-biting Game 7 of the World Series, which saw the Los Angeles Dodgers clinch the title against the Toronto Blue Jays, drawing viewers away from movie theaters.

The month was characterized by numerous high-profile disappointments across various genres and budget scales. Big-budget tentpoles like Disney’s “Tron: Ares” and Dwayne Johnson’s “The Smashing Machine” struggled considerably. "Tron: Ares," with a $180 million budget, only managed $126 million globally, while A24’s “Smashing Machine,” with a $50 million budget, grossed only $19 million, resulting in substantial theatrical losses for their respective studios. Other awards contenders and mid-sized films also failed to resonate, including Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt” ($7.8 million), Disney and 20th Century’s “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” ($20 million), and Jennifer Lopez’s musical adaptation “Kiss of the Spider Woman” ($1.6 million). The struggle was not limited to blockbusters, as films of all sizes, such as the family adventure “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” ($68 million), Channing Tatum-led dramedy “Roofman” ($27 million), Aziz Ansari’s fantastical comedy “Good Fortune” ($14 million), and Neon’s supernatural thriller “Shelby Oaks” ($3.2 million), all struggled to connect with their target audiences.

Box office analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations pointed out the fundamental issue: "The major releases this month failed to deliver. Simple as that." He also noted a missed opportunity for Hollywood to capitalize on the spooky season, stating that "Apart from the moderately successful ‘Black Phone 2,’ there just weren’t enough horror films to entice moviegoers."

Overall, 2024 has been a mixed year for the box office, experiencing significant fluctuations. April saw unexpected success with "A Minecraft Movie" and "Sinners," contrasting sharply with March's abysmal performance from "Snow White" and "The Alto Knights." While box office returns are currently 2.9% ahead of 2024, this lead has been rapidly diminishing since the summer. Domestic revenues also remain more than 22% behind pre-pandemic levels of 2019, according to Comscore. However, there is a hopeful outlook for the end of the year, with anticipated November and December releases like “Zootopia 2,” “Wicked: For Good,” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” expected to provide a much-needed boost. As Bock optimistically concludes, "Holiday season kicks into gear next weekend — and Hollywood will be breathing a huge sigh of relief."