The Halloween weekend brought dismal news for the box office, with ticket sales nearly grinding to a halt due to a combination of factors, marking it as the worst weekend of the entire year. Revenues between Friday and Sunday amounted to just $49 million, according to Comscore. Several elements contributed to this unprecedented slump, including a scarcity of new releases, the unfortunate timing of Halloween landing on a Friday—diverting families to trick-or-treating instead of movie theaters—and the distraction of Saturday night's Major League Baseball championships, which saw a thrilling Game 7 victory for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the Toronto Blue Jays.

This "scary-slow World Series-impacted, Halloween-festivity-laden weekend" is indicative of a quiet post-summer moviegoing period, as noted by Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore's head of marketplace trends, who emphasized the industry's dire need for a boost. The negative trend extends beyond the weekend, with October closing as the lowest-grossing in 27 years. Domestic earnings stalled at an abysmal $425 million, representing the poorest haul since October 1997, which recorded $385 million (not adjusted for inflation). This ignominious record excludes 2020, when theaters were still severely impacted by the pandemic.

Despite October traditionally being a period when studios launch their awards hopefuls, this year saw Oscar contenders and big-budget tentpoles struggle to gain traction. Films like Dwayne Johnson’s “The Smashing Machine,” Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt,” Disney’s “Tron: Ares,” and “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” failed to provide the usual box office jolt, highlighting the broader challenges faced by the industry during this period.

In a surprising turn, the Colleen Hoover adaptation “Regretting You” rose to the No. 1 spot in its sophomore outing, grossing $8.1 million from 3,424 theaters. The film experienced a modest decline of just 41% from its debut, bringing its total North American ticket sales to $27.5 million and global sales to $50 million against a $30 million budget. Universal’s “Black Phone 2” was a close second, earning $8 million from 3,305 venues. The final order for the top spots was anticipated to shift upon Monday's confirmation of numbers. “Black Phone 2” has accumulated $61 million domestically and $104 million globally to date, standing as this year’s only Blumhouse release to approach the $100 million mark, though “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” is expected to contend for similar success in December.

The third-place position likely saw a tie between Netflix’s re-release of “KPop Demon Hunters” and Sony and Crunchyroll’s “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc,” with both films estimating a $6 million weekend haul. Netflix did not report grosses for “KPop Demon Hunters,” which played in 2,890 theaters, with projections coming from rival studios and exhibitors. This marked the animated musical's second theatrical run, having previously earned approximately $18 million in North America during its August screening. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc,” which topped the box office the previous weekend, has now garnered $30 million in North America and a significant $109 million overseas, totaling $139 million globally, underscoring the strong international appeal of anime films.

Expanding nationwide, “Bugonia,” the latest collaboration between director Yorgos Lanthimos and star Emma Stone, secured fifth place with $4.8 million from 2,043 theaters. The film, featuring Stone as a high-powered tech CEO kidnapped by conspiracy theorists who believe she is an extraterrestrial, received a “B” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, a reception not uncommon for Lanthimos’ polarizing works. Audiences for “Bugonia” were predominantly younger males, with men comprising 61% and 24 to 34-year-olds representing 39% of the crowds. Anniversary re-releases also contributed to the weekend's numbers, with “Back to the Future” collecting a respectable $4.7 million from 2,105 theaters for its 40th anniversary, and “The Twilight Saga” collectively earning roughly $3 million from 1,500 locations as part of a celebration for the 20th anniversary of Stephanie Meyer's first novel.

Looking ahead, the industry hopes for a much-needed resurgence. The next weekend is set to see the debut of Disney’s “Predator: Badlands,” followed by the heist threequel “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” and Edgar Wright and Glen Powell’s remake of “The Running Man.” However, business is not expected to significantly improve until the Thanksgiving corridor, with major releases like Disney’s “Zootopia 2” and Universal’s “Wicked: For Good.” The year is anticipated to conclude with a bang with James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” on December 19. Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian reiterated that while early November releases are welcome, the period from mid-November through New Year’s Eve will be