Universal’s horror sequel Halloween Kills over-performed in its opening weekend, raking in an estimated $50 million in three days. That’s the largest debut for a film that was also released day-and-date on streaming during the pandemic era.
In the case of Halloween Kills, director David Gordon Green’s sequel to his massively successful 2018 reboot, the film was made available to subscribers of the Peacock streaming service for no extra charge. Marvel's Black Widow made more in its opening weekend, but Disney was asking subscribers to shell out a $29.99 premier access fee to watch the film on Disney+.
Halloween Kills was projected to open at around $30-$40 million, which would have put it behind the first film’s $76 million opening. Deadline reports that Universal spent more on marketing the sequel than it did on the first — lower than $100 million, as compared to the 2018 movie’s $75.5 million.
This is the third weekend in a row where all films have made more than $100 million combined. Thanks to Halloween Kills’ strong opening, and the $15 million-plus that both holdovers No Time to Die and Venom: Let There Be Carnage made, the total haul for the weekend stood at $110 million.
Daniel Craig’s final James Bond film is looking at number two this weekend, with a $24.4 million second weekend haul, after under-performing in its opening weekend. Internationally, however, the Cary Joji Fukunaga-directed film is inching towards $400 million; its domestic total stands just shy of the $100 million-mark. It was speculated that older audiences aren’t quite ready to step out yet, and that their absence impacted the film’s opening, which ranks fourth-lowest (of five) among the Craig Bonds.
A similar argument can be made for director Ridley Scott’s historical epic, The Last Duel, which is looking at a $5 million opening after a $1.8 million Friday debut. That puts the film — starring Jodie Comer, Matt Damon, Adam Driver, and Ben Affleck — at the number five spot this weekend.
Venom 2, after its record-setting $90 million opening weekend and a concerning second weekend drop, made an estimated $16 million in its third weekend, for a running domestic total of $167 million. Directed by Andy Serkis and starring Tom Hardy as the Marvel antihero, the film faces a tough challenge if it wants to touch the first film’s strong $850 million worldwide haul. Both Venom 2 and No Time to Die will open in the ever-important China marketplace later this month.
The number four spot was claimed by another sequel, the animated film The Addams Family 2, which made $6.7 million this weekend for a running domestic total of just over $40 million. The Addams Family 2 is available to watch at home via On-Demand retailers, including Amazon, Redbox, AMC Theaters On Demand, and more. The first movie, released in 2019, made over $200 million worldwide.
Next weekend, all eyes will be on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, which carries a hefty price-tag and the weight of the franchise’s future on its shoulders. The film arrives stateside with more than $100 million in the bank already from international territories.