The Black Phone 2 Dials Up the Weekend Hit Blumhouse Needed

Horror came to the rescue this weekend, and Blumhouse finally caught a break. After a long stretch of underperformers and near-misses, the studio scored a real win right when they needed it.

Blumhouse is back (for now)

The Black Phone 2 opened above most forecasts with $26.5 million, per Comscore. That is actually higher than the first film’s $23.6 million debut in summer 2022, which is not what sequel math usually looks like. Bringing back The Grabber was a smart call, even if this one probably won’t have the original’s long legs (that one quietly crept past $90 million domestic).

Blumhouse has been in the wilderness for a while. Some recent titles like Speak No Evil, Imaginary, and Night Swim eked out modest profits, but the misses stacked up: Wolf Man, Drop (which, for the record, is a pretty great thriller), and most notoriously M3GAN 2.0, which basically torched that franchise last summer. If The Black Phone 2 is the reset button, the momentum could keep rolling when Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 hits theaters this Christmas.

Elsewhere: tough weekend for everything that isn’t scary

Disney’s Tron saga still can’t find its footing. Tron: Ares plunged 66% to second place with $11.1 million and sits at $54.5 million domestic. At this pace, $70-75 million domestic looks like the ceiling.

Lionsgate took a lump with Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune, which mustered only $6.2 million despite headline names like Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen. The bigger pattern holds: broad comedies are not connecting theatrically the way they used to.

On the WB side, One Battle After Another keeps chugging along with another $4 million, bringing it to $61 million domestic. Not a smash, but it has an audience and should hang around through awards season.

Awards hopefuls are struggling (again)

Channing Tatum’s Roofman (co-starring Kirsten Dunst) deserved better and didn’t get it: $3.7 million this weekend, $15.5 million domestic to date. Star-driven prestige plays are having a rough fall. The Smashing Machine became one of the year’s harshest outcomes, getting yanked from over 2,000 theaters after only $11 million domestic. Further down the chart, Julia Roberts’ After the Hunt landed at just $1.5 million. The read: audiences seem content to wait for streaming, if they bother at all.

Faith and family didn’t save the day either

Angel Studios’ Truth & Treason opened in sixth with $2.7 million, continuing a quieter run for faith-based titles. Family play Gabby’s Dollhouse added $1.65 million and is now at $29 million domestic. Not exactly a lifeline for exhibitors.

The actual champs of the season

Thank you, horror. The Conjuring: Last Rites is the season’s only clear, across-the-board hit, pulling another $1.5 million for a franchise-best $175 million domestic total. The other genuine winner? Anime. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is now the highest-grossing anime release ever in North America, closing the top 10 with $1.3 million and a $131 million domestic haul.

• The Black Phone 2: $26.5M opening (above forecasts; original opened to $23.6M, legged out to $90M+ domestic)
• Tron: Ares: $11.1M (second place), $54.5M domestic total; tracking to finish around $70-75M
• Good Fortune: $6.2M debut despite Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen
• One Battle After Another (WB): $4M weekend; $61M domestic total
• Roofman: $3.7M weekend; $15.5M domestic total
• The Smashing Machine: pulled from 2,000+ theaters after $11M domestic
• After the Hunt: $1.5M weekend
• Truth & Treason (Angel Studios): $2.7M debut, sixth place
• Gabby’s Dollhouse: $1.65M weekend; $29M domestic total
• The Conjuring: Last Rites: $1.5M weekend; $175M domestic (series best)
• Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle: $1.3M weekend; $131M domestic (highest-grossing anime ever in North America)

Next up

Crunchyroll is back next weekend with Chainsaw Man. Also on deck: the much-anticipated Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. If any adult drama can buck the trend, maybe The Boss can.

What did you catch this weekend? Drop your picks below.