October isn’t the busiest time of the year at the box office, but over the years, the month has produced some notable hits — ranging from awards contenders like Gravity ($274 million domestic) to comic book adaptations like Joker ($335.4 million domestic). In an effort to avoid the intense competition of the crowded summer months, studios will sometimes opt to release high-profile offerings in the early fall, hopefully putting them in a position to succeed. This October saw a variety of offerings that had potential, including sci-fi sequel Tron: Ares and biopics such as The Smashing Machine and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Unfortunately, these films did not make an impact at the box office.
Videos by ComicBook.com
According to The Hollywood Reporter, films combined to gross around $425 million at the domestic box office in October, the lowest total in 27 years (excluding 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted the industry). Tron: Ares was the highest-grossing title of the month, earning only $63.4 million. That figure is the lowest for October’s No. 1 movie since The Wallace & Gromit Movie in 2005.
Why The October Box Office Was So Disappointing
While it’s unfortunate that this was the worst October in decades, it isn’t necessarily a shock. None of the new releases resonated with audiences. Tron: Ares continued the franchise tradition of earning mixed reviews and underwhelming at the box office, ending the series with a $100 million loss. The Smashing Machine received a B- CinemaScore, meaning it didn’t have the word of mouth to rebound from its weak $6 million opening. This month also served as another illustration of how much moviegoing has changed over the past handful of years. In an era of shortened theatrical windows and streaming, it’s become much easier for casual audiences to wait for new titles to become available at home. Unless something has a “must-watch” factor, it can be hard to draw people to the theater.
It’s also important to keep in mind that a high-profile franchise sequel was pulled from the October schedule late. This month was supposed to see the release of video game adaptation Mortal Kombat II, but because the 2025 Warner Bros. film slate had already turned a profit, the studio felt comfortable pushing it back to next May. Mortal Kombat II was originally slated to open on October 24, where it likely would have won the weekend. The top movie that weekend ended up being Chainsaw Man with $18 million. The first Mortal Kombat, which released in spring 2021 as theaters were starting to recover from the pandemic, debuted with $23.2 million domestically. The sequel, featuring Karl Urban as Johnny Cage, was a highly anticipated release and would have done strong business.
October is known as spooky season, and people enjoy watching horror movies around this time to celebrate Halloween. There was a surprising lack of horror fare at the box office this year. The biggest horror film to release this month was Black Phone 2, which has earned $52.4 million domestically as of this writing. Budgeted at just $30 million, Black Phone 2 has already turned a profit, but it wasn’t a major horror blockbuster a la The Conjuring: Last Rites, which broke box office records. There were actually no new wide releases this Halloween weekend; the main attraction is a re-release of Kpop Demon Hunters.
Fortunately, there are reasons for theaters owners to be optimistic as we enter November. Wicked: For Good is projected to be a smash hit; initial estimates have it pegged for $115 million domestically in its debut. November also sees the release of Disney’s Zootopia 2, a sequel to a film that crossed the $1 billion mark. Both of those titles should be massive draws over the Thanksgiving window, mirroring what happened last year when Wicked and Moana 2 drove business. December is when James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash opens, and that should be one of the biggest films of the year (the previous two Avatar installments grossed over $2 billion). If other films like Predator: Badlands and The Running Man also gain traction, the year will end on a high note.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Ufotable -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
