New horror Come Play will top a dismal Halloween weekend at the domestic box office. Come Play is written and directed by Jacob Chase and stars Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher Jr., Azhy Robertson, and Winslow Fegley. The film follows parents fighting to save their son from a mysterious entity that uses electronic devices to cross over into our reality. The film will earn $3.15 million in its opening weekend. Last week’s chart-topper, Honest Thief starring Liam Neeson, will drop into the second-place spot. Family comedy The War with Grandpa starring Robert De Niro lands in third place. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet ends up fourth place in its 10th weekend at the box office.
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The Halloween weekend also brought some spooky movies back to theaters. Halloween cult classic Hocus Pocus, now in its fifth week of re-release, earned a sixth-place finish at the box office. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas landed in seventh place in the third weekend of its return to theaters. The original 1978 slasher classic Halloween lands in eighth place during its namesake holiday weekend and second weekend of its return to theaters.
There are also some new horror films at the box office. The Empty Man, based on the comic book of the same name, is in fifth place, and Paramount Pictures’ Spell rounds out the top 10. Keep reading to see this week’s chart.
1. Come Play
- Opening Weekend
- Total: $3.15 million
Parents fight to save their son when a mysterious creature uses his electronic devices to break into our world.
Come Play is written and directed by Jacob Chase. The film stars Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher Jr., Azhy Robertson, and Winslow Fegley.
2. Honest Thief
- Week Four
- Weekend: $1.35 million
- Total: $9.5 million
Hoping to cut a deal, a professional bank robber agrees to return all the money he stole in exchange for a reduced sentence. But when two FBI agents set him up for murder, he must now go on the run to clear his name and bring them to justice.
Honest Thief is directed by Mark Williams, from a screenplay Williams co-wrote with Steve Allrich. The movie stars Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Robert Patrick, Anthony Ramos, Jeffrey Donovan, and Jai Courtney.
3. War With Grandpa
- Week Four
- Weekend: $1.08 million
- Total: $11.3 million
Peter and his grandpa used to be very close, but when Grandpa Jack moves in with the family, Peter is forced to give up his most prized possession: his bedroom. Peter will stop at nothing to get his room back, scheming with friends to devise a series of pranks to drive him out. However, grandpa doesn’t give up easily, and it turns into an all-out war between the two.
The War with Grandpa is directed by Tim Hill from a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based on Robert Kimmel Smith’s novel of the same name. The film stars Robert De Niro, Oakes Fegley, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Walken.
4. Tenet
- Week 10
- Weekend: $885,000
- Total: $53.8 million
A secret agent embarks on a dangerous, time-bending mission to prevent the start of World War III.
Tenet is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh.
5. The Empty Man
- Week Two
- Weekend: $561,000
- Total: $2.2 million
On the trail of a missing girl, an ex-cop comes across a secretive group attempting to summon a terrifying supernatural entity.
The Empty Man is written and directed by David Prior, based on the BOOM! Studios graphic novel of the same name by Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey. The film stars James Badge Dale, Marin Ireland, Stephen Root, Ron Canada, Robert Aramayo, Joel Courtney, and Sasha Frolova.
6. Hocus Pocus
- Week Five (of re-release)
- Weekend: $456,000
- Total: $45.8 million
After moving to Salem, Mass., teenager Max Dennison (Omri Katz) explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani (Thora Birch) and their new friend, Allison (Vinessa Shaw). After dismissing a story Allison tells as superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy) who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches’ book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.
Hocus Pocus is directed by Kenny Ortega, written by Neil Cuthbert and Mick Garris, and stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Vinessa Shaw.
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Week Three (of re-release)
- Weekend: $386 million
- Total: $77.8 million
Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere!
The Nightmare Before Christmas is directed by Henry Selick, based on ideas from Tim Burton. Danny Elfman wrote the film’s songs and score and is the singing voice of Jack Skellington. The voice cast also includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Ed Ivory.
8. Halloween
- Week Two (of re-release)
- Weekend: $315,000
- Total: $47.6 million
On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith’s Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.
Halloween was directed by John Carpenter and stars Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis.
9. Monsters, Inc
- Week Two (of re-release)
- Weekend: $232,000
- Total: $256.8 million
Monsters Incorporated is the largest scare factory in the monster world, and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) is one of its top scarers. Sullivan is a huge, intimidating monster with blue fur, large purple spots and horns. His scare assistant, best friend and roommate is Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), a green, opinionated, feisty little one-eyed monster. Visiting from the human world is Boo (Mary Gibbs), a tiny girl who goes where no human has ever gone before.
Monsters, Inc. was directed by Pete Docter and features the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, and Jennifer Tilly.
10. Spell
While flying to his father’s funeral in rural Appalachia, an intense storm causes Marquis to lose control of the plane carrying himself and his family. He soon awakens wounded, alone and trapped in Ms. Eloise’s attic. Eloise claims she can nurse him back to health with a hoodoo figure she’s made from his blood and skin. Unable to call for help, Marquis desperately tries to break free from her dark magic and save his family from a sinister ritual before the rise of the blood moon.
Spell is directed by Mark Tonderai from a screenplay by Kurt Wimmer. The film stars Omari Hardwick, Loretta Devine, Andre Jacobs, Lorraine Burroughs, and John Beasley.
