No matter how you look at the numbers, Halloween Ends had a good opening weekend. Touted as the final showdown between Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, the slasher pic earned $41.3 million in ticket sales from 3,901 theaters in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. It's the first film to open higher than $40 million since Nope debuted in July, and it surpassed its production budget, which has been reported to be between $20 million and $30 million. Including international showings, the film starring Jamie Lee Curtis boasts a global total of $58.4 million, the AP reports.
The film also renewed a debate about day-and-date movie releases, and some in Hollywood are wondering whether Halloween Ends could have opened even bigger if it hadn't debuted simultaneously on Peacock, NBC Universal's streaming service. Going into the weekend, some analysts had predicted an opening around $50 million, where Halloween Kills, the previous installment, had wound up. "The day-and-date model was put to the test again, but I think this is a mandate in favor of the movie theater," said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "Audiences had the option to watch it at home, but they chose to go to the theater."
Below are estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
- Halloween Ends, $41.3 million.
- Smile, $12.4 million.
- Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, $7.4 million.
- The Woman King, $3.7 million.
- Amsterdam, $2.9 million.
- Don't Worry Darling, $2.2 million.
- Barbarian, $1.4 million.
- Bros, $920,000.
- Terrifier 2, $850,000.
- Top Gun: Maverick, $685,000.
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