Friday Halloween Cuts Box Office, Communities Celebrate

Halloween falls on a Friday for the first time since 2014 and is expected to hollow out Friday box-office business, with Universal/Blumhouse’s Black Phone 2 and Paramount’s Regretting You each projected to open around $7 million, Netflix re-releasing K‑pop Demon Hunters into a wide run, and anime Chainsaw Man forecast to steeply decline. Communities nationwide are leaning into month‑long Halloween programming — from Denton’s “31 Days of Halloween” to East Texas trunk‑or‑treats, haunted houses and parties offering family and adult options. Local organizers are adapting events: Alexandria’s Animal Welfare League is hosting a Howl‑o‑Ween pet costume contest after a planned event was canceled, with preregistration and safety rules for entrants. Neighborhood spectacles and displays are drawing attention and prompting crowd‑control measures, including Burbank’s elaborate “Pumpkin Cemetery” and “Buena Vista Haunt,” and Louisville’s Hillcrest Avenue limiting free tickets to 5,000, closing the street and stationing officers and private security. Weather forecasts call for mild conditions to start with cooler, cloudier days and spotty rain possible in parts of the Midwest, though an active jet stream later could change conditions. Seasonal programming also extends to cultural offerings, with classical pieces such as Saint‑Saëns’ “Danse Macabre” featured in Halloween music coverage.