Halloween Scares Off Audiences as ‘Black Adam’ Takes #1 Again at the Box Office

Tom Brueggemann
·4 min read
3

The weekend around Halloween is usually soft, which explains the above-average 59 percent drop for “Black Adam” (Warner Bros. Discovery). The DC title had little competition for #1, with just under $28 million for a domestic total of $111 million and $250 million worldwide.

The holiday is probably why the Dwayne Johnson vehicle fell five points more in its second weekend than “Shazam!” did in April 2019. “Adam” should reach around $175 million domestic and perhaps $400 million worldwide, likely above combined marketing and production costs. WBD would get somewhat more than half of that back in film rental, suggesting that it will rely on post-theatrical revenues for profit.

More from IndieWire

“Adam” contributed over 40 percent of the weekend’s total $106 million gross. That represents 60 percent of the same weekend in 2019, and gives us a four-week rolling average of 60 percent compared to three years ago. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Disney) and its potential $200 million+ beginning will improve that.

The PG-13 “Prey for the Devil” (Lionsgate) was the sole opener. The company has been a steady force for low-budget horror success, but not this time. With a weak $7 million start and a C+ Cinemascore, not much more is likely. It place third.

“Ticket to Paradise” - Credit: Universal Pictures
“Ticket to Paradise” - Credit: Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures

“Ticket to Paradise” (Universal) fell 39 percent its second weekend with $10 million. The George Clooney/Julia Roberts rom-com is a success worldwide with $119 million. It might take stars with this history to make a middle-budget original film work, but that’s a positive for a flailing theatrical genre.

Also impressive, especially for its microbudget and non-studio backing, is “Terrifier 2” (Iconic/Cinedigm). It nearly doubled its theaters to 1,550 to come in #8 with $1.8 million and $7.6 million total.

A flurry of expansions included “Till” (United Artists) at #7, with the most positive results, but none (including Focus’ “TÁR” at #10) performed in the range of similar titles pre-pandemic. More details on these in our specialized report.

Horror, as usual, had a higher than normal presence with four of the top 10. “Smile” (Paramount) dropped 40 percent in fourth place with $92 million total. “Halloween Ends” (Universal) dropped 52 percent, an improvement over last weekend’s steep fall. It’s grossed $60 million while also streaming on Peacock.

Other than “Terrifier” (which was up 3 percent), the best hold was “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” (Sony), down 34 percent at #6 but still with a disappointing $32.5 million total.

If non-movies were included in the top 10, “Coldplay Music of Spheres Live” (Trafalagar) would have placed #9. The concert event was broadcast in 833 theaters with over $1 million for its first two days, including a day-after repeat.

The Top 10

1. Black Adam (WBD) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$27,700,000 (-59%) in 4,402 theaters (no change); PTA (per theater average): $6,293; Cumulative: $111,139,000

2. Ticket to Paradise (Universal) Week 2; Last weekend #2

$10,000,000 (-39%) in 3,692 (+149) theaters; PTA: $2,709; Cumulative: $33,730,000

3. Prey for the Devil (Lionsgate) NEW – Cinemascore: C+; Metacritic: 32

$7,025,000 in 2,980 theaters; PTA: $2,357; Cumulative: $7,025,000

4. Smile (Paramount) Week 5; Last weekend #3

$5,050,000 (-40%) in 3,221 (-75) theaters; PTA: $1,568; Cumulative: $92,387,000

5. Halloween Ends (Universal) Week 3; Last weekend #4; also on Peacock

$3,830,000 (-52%) in 3,419 (-482) theaters; PTA: $1,120; Cumulative: $60,320,000

6. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Sony) Week 4; Last weekend #5

$2,825,000 (-34%) in 3,135 (-401) theaters; PTA: $901; Cumulative: $32,560,000

7. Till (United Artists) Week 3; Last weekend #13

$2,811,000 (+673%) in 2,058 (+1,954) theaters: PTA: $1,366; Cumulative: $3,637,000

8. Terrifier 2 (Cinedigm/Iconic) Week 4; Last weekend #7

$1,804,000 (+3%) in 1,550 (+795) theaters; PTA: $1,164; Cumulative: $7,638,000

9. The Woman King (Sony) Week 5; Last weekend #6

$1,110,000 (-41%) in 1,466 (-412) theaters; PTA: $768; Cumulative: $64,584,000

10. TÁR (Focus) Week 4; Last weekend #12

$1,020,000 (+104%) in 1,087 (+946) theaters; PTA: $938; Cumulative: $2,281,000

 

 

Best of IndieWire

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.