Horror Hits Big: Black Phone 2 Scares Up $26. 5M Opening Weekend

Horror fans showed up in force for "Black Phone 2," helping it rake in $26.5 million in its first weekend in North America.

• Sequel Success: Directed by Scott Derrickson, the film outperformed expectations and gave Blumhouse Productions a much-needed win after a string of box office misses.
• Strong Opening: The film's success follows the expensive flop "M3GAN 2.0" earlier this year.

Box Office Dominance

"Black Phone 2" took the top spot in North America, beating out Disney's "Tron: Ares," which saw a steep drop in its second weekend.

• Critics and Audiences Praise: The horror sequel earned a solid B CinemaScore—a great grade for any horror movie.
• Diverse Audience: Latinos made up the largest portion of the audience, accounting for about 39 percent of ticket sales.
• International Success: Internationally, Mexico led the way with $4.3 million, a huge number for a horror film.

Cast and Expectations

The movie brings back Ethan Hawke as the terrifying killer Grabber and Mason Thames as Finn. This time, Grabber seeks revenge on Finn's younger sister, Gwen, played by Madeleine McGraw.

• Initial Predictions: Universal had initially predicted a $18 million opening, but prerelease tracking suggested the film would do even better than its predecessor, which opened with $23.6 million in 2021 and went on to become a sleeper hit, grossing over $161 million worldwide.

Other Notable Releases

• "Tron: Ares": Took a big tumble in its second weekend, earning just $11.1 million domestically. Overseas, it brought in another $14.1 million, including a disappointing $2.8 million in China. The film's global total now stands at $103 million, but with a production budget of $180 million, it's still far from breaking even.
• "Good Fortune": Lionsgate's comedy despite good reviews and a star-studded cast, only managed to pull in $6.2 million domestically.
• "One Battle After Another": Warner Bros.' film crossed the $100 million mark internationally and brought in $4 million domestically.
• "Roofman": Miramax's film rounded out the top five in its second weekend with $3.7 million domestically.
• "Truth & Treason": Angel Studios' drama based on a true story, opened in sixth place with $2.7 million. It was the only new nationwide release to earn an A CinemaScore.
• "After the Hunt": Expanded to more theaters but received a C- CinemaScore despite its ensemble cast.