People want horror in October, and you can’t get a much better brand than theHalloweenfranchise. The series has wisely (at least from a financial standpoint) discarded the mythology so that newcomers only have to have seen the 1978 original to be caught up with the new installment, and it looks like folks are eager to see Michael Myers wreak some havoc.
THRreports thatHalloweenlaunched with $7.7 million from Thursday night previews. That’s a near-record for a horror movie. The record was set last year byIt, which earned $11.4 million on it opening night on its way to an opening weekend of $123 million and a worldwide gross of $700 million. Tracking earlier this week hadHalloweenon pace to earn $50 million, but now THR reports that the film is expected to easily eclipse $70 million even though Universal is keeping with the more modest $50 million tracking.
IfHalloweenencounters any resistance, it’s only becauseVenomandA Star Is Bornhave proven to have legs at the box office. In terms of new openings,Halloweenisn’t likely to have any serious competition from expansions ofThe Hate U Give(which is great, but it doesn’t haveHalloween’s branding) andThe Old Man & the Gun. Most studios have decided to steer clear ofHalloween, opting more for limited releases likeCan You Ever Forgive Me?,Mid90s,Wildlife, andWhat They Had.
It will be interesting to see how much moneyHalloweencan make this weekend and if it has legs. But even if it only reaches the low expectations of $50 million, that’s far beyond what any otherHalloweenmovie has done on an opening weekend, and it almost certainly guarantees another sequel for the long-running horror franchise. Of course, ifHalloweenhas taught us anything, it’s that you can’t keep Michael Myers down.
