The recent North American box office saw a significant slowdown following a hot streak in September, marked by back-to-back weekends of overperforming films. Despite the anticipation surrounding new releases, neither the Jordan Peele-produced horror film "Him" nor the romantic drama starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell managed to maintain the momentum. The previous weekends featured strong performances from films like "The Conjuring: Last Rights" and the anime "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Infinity Castle," but the latest numbers revealed a stark contrast, with overall ticket sales plummeting nearly 50% from the previous weekend.
In this latest box office report, "Demon Slayer" emerged as the weekend's champion, raking in $17.3 million and bringing its total earnings to $104.7 million, thus becoming the highest-grossing anime film ever in North America. The film continues to resonate strongly with audiences, showcasing its robust following.
On the other hand, the highly anticipated horror film "Him" opened in second place with approximately $13.5 million in ticket sales. Distributed by Universal Pictures, "Him" premiered across 3,168 theaters in North America, attracting a predominantly male audience (52%) with 65% of viewers aged over 25. Internationally, the film garnered an additional $400,000 in earnings.
The horror genre continued to dominate, as "The Conjuring: Last Rights" was nearly upstaged by "Him," grossing an estimated $13 million in its third weekend. With a global total of $400 million, this film has solidified its position as the largest installment in the Conjuring universe.
Compounding the weekend's disappointments, Sony's romantic feature "A Big Bold Beautiful Journey," starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, opened to disappointing numbers, earning only $3.5 million across 3,300 locations. The film suffered from negative reviews and currently holds a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating a lack of audience interest.
Other noteworthy performances included "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale," which added $6.3 million to its total, bringing it to $31.6 million, and "The Long Walk," which also estimates $6.3 million in its second weekend. Impressively, "The Long Walk" has already surpassed its $20 million production budget by bringing in $22.7 million domestically, not accounting for marketing expenses.
In addition, Ron Howard's classic film "Apollo 13" was re-released in 200 theaters for its 30th anniversary, bringing in an estimated $600,000, a nostalgic nod for fans of the iconic space film.
Looking ahead, next weekend promises excitement with the release of a new Paul Thomas Anderson film, "One Battle After Another," though Anderson's highest-grossing work to date remains the 2007 film "There Will Be Blood," which earned a little over $76 million worldwide.
Additionally, AMC Theaters is gearing up for a uniquely different cinematic experience by hosting a release party for Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl." The 90-minute event, aptly titled “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” is scheduled to take place in all 540 AMC theaters across the United States from October 3 through October 5.
