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Published 1:44 p.m. AND Oct. 28, 2018
Classic horror villain Michael Haddonfield, Ill. – and old foil Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) – in "Halloween."
USA TODAY
Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis, center) worries that Michael Myers is on the rampage again in "Halloween."(Photo: RYAN GREEN / UNIVERSAL)
NEW YORK – Michael Meyers – or is it Jamie Lee Curtis? – can not be stopped. "Halloween" dominated the North American box office for the second straight weekend, carving up an estimated $ 32 million in ticket sales.
The top four movies were unchanged, based on Sunday estimates, as Hollywood left "Halloween" to dominate the pre-trick-or-treating weekend. The sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 original, starring 59-year-old Curtis as Laurie Strode, last week notched the biggest opening ever for a movie with a female lead older than 55.
The new "Halloween" is already the biggest film in the franchise ever, with $ 126.7 million in ticket sales (plus another $ 45.6 million internationally) on just $ 10 million budget. The latest installment, directed by David Gordon Green, slid a relatively modest 58 percent – especially good for a horror release – after setting a record for an October debut last weekend.
Bradley Cooper's lauded "A Star Is Born" remained in second place with $ 14 million in its fourth weekend. The film, starring Cooper and Lady Gaga, has thus far grossed $ 148.7 million domestically, while proving an even strong seller overseas. It's made $ 104.6 million internationally.
Superhero spinoff "Venom" also stuck in third with $ 10.8 million in its fourth weekend. The comic-book adaptation, Tom Hardy starring, has grossed $ 504.8 million worldwide.
"Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween," the kid-friendly sequel based on R.L. Stine books, finished fourth with $ 7.5 million in its third weekend.
That trio of "Halloween," "Venom" and "A Star Is Born" has driven the record high of $ 757.1 million from 2014, according to comScore, with $ 789.9 million in sales in October – traditionally a fair sleepy month in movie theaters.
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The submarine thriller "Hunter Killer," starring Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman and Common, was deep-sixed with $ 6.7 million. Like previous Butler-led action movies like "Den of Thieves," "Geostorm," "London Has Fallen" and "Gods of Egypt," "Hunter Killer" (36 percent "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes) But those movies are far better than in the US, something "Hunter Killer" will hope to repeat.
Other films in nationwide release also struggles to come close to the strong holdovers.
Last weekend, Jonah Hill's directorial debut, the coming-of-age skateboarding drama "Mid90s," took a mediocre $ 3 million in just over 1,200 theaters. The Christian war drama movie "Indivisible" took in $ 1.6 million on 830 screens.
"Johnny English Strikes Again," the third movie in the 15-year-old Rowan Atkinson comedy franchise, opened with a $ 1.6 million million, though it, too, was designed with more international focus. (It's already earned $ 107.7 million overseas.)
One new bright spot was Luca Guadagnino's remake of the horror classic "Suspiria." Opening in just two theaters, it starts with a very strong per-screen average of $ 89,903, a good start for Guadagnino's follow-up to his film awards "Call Me By Your Name." The new "Suspiria" has been somewhat divisive among critics (69 percent "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes).
Final numbers are expected Monday.
Contributing: Kim Willis
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