Universal's Black Phone 2 Tops Lowest Halloween Weekend Box Office in 27 Years

The box office weekend ending in early November 2025 marked the lowest October performance in 27 years, with total revenue around $49 million, influenced by Halloween falling on a Friday and the World Series final between the LA Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays diverting audiences. Universal and Blumhouse's horror sequel "Black Phone 2" led the sluggish weekend, earning approximately $7.6 million in its third weekend and a total of $61 million, despite a 41% drop from the prior weekend. Netflix's "KPop Demon Hunters," despite being the most-watched Netflix feature and playing in nearly 3,000 theaters, struggled with an estimated $3.4 million for the weekend and a second engagement that showed diminishing returns. Other notable releases included Paramount's "Regretting You," Sony/Crunchyroll's anime "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc," and Universal's re-release of "Back to the Future," all posting modest figures amid the overall weak theatrical landscape. Industry analysts attribute the continuing box office challenges to a combination of pandemic aftereffects, lack of major new releases, and competing entertainment options, with October's total gross down 8% from the previous year and still 24% below pre-pandemic levels. These trends underscore ongoing shifts in viewer habits and the difficulties facing film studios in attracting large audiences during key seasonal periods.