Box Office Beatdown: Demon Slayer to Crush Him in Second Weekend
Jordan Peele’s Him has buzz, but weak reviews may gut its shot at a No. 1 debut. Demon Slayer is poised to carve up the box office for a second straight weekend.
Fall box office has entered its chaos era. The Conjuring: Last Rites blew past expectations with an opening nearly double what anyone was calling, and then Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle detonated the conversation with a $70 million debut — the biggest anime opening ever in North America. So yeah, plan for curveballs.
This weekend: Demon Slayer still on top, but coming down to earth
Demon Slayer is headed for the usual anime-style second-week plunge, but it should still rule the chart with about $25 million. That steep drop is par for the genre — the fans show up early and loud — and even with the comedown it keeps the crown.
Runner-up: Him tries to scare up a breakout
Universal had hopes for Him after those eerie trailers and the Jordan Peele producer stamp, but early reviews are rough. The opening is looking more solid-than-sensational at around $18 million — respectable, just not the breakout they wanted.
Third place: The Conjuring keeps cashing
The Conjuring: Last Rites is on track for another $12 million and, at this point, it is cementing itself as the top earner in the franchise by a wide margin. That early overperformance was the first real shock of the season, and it keeps paying off.
Fourth place drama: stars, festivals, and a shrug
Kogonada's A Big Bold Beautiful Journey — with Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie — had awards buzz months ago, but it skipped the fall festival gauntlet and now sits at 44% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even with Robbie's first film since Barbie, the tracking is a muted $9 million. Another box office stumble for Sony, though they can point to Demon Slayer as a distributor win.
Fifth place toss-up: seniors vs. society
Angel Studios is rolling out The Senior with Michael Chiklis. It was produced independently and, historically, Angel's non-religious acquisitions have a tougher time with their base. The safer play for the last spot looks like Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, which should land around $8 million and could even leapfrog Journey if word-of-mouth turns warm.
Inside baseball corner: anime openings burn hot and fast, festival skips can signal confidence issues, and yes, one studio can have a rough slate while still riding high on a single distributed juggernaut.
- Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle: $25 million
- Him: $18 million
- The Conjuring: Last Rites: $12 million
- A Big Bold Beautiful Journey: $9 million
- Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale: $8 million
What are you seeing this weekend? If you caught Demon Slayer last week, are you going back for round two or saving your money for the Downton goodbye tour?